- Title: Egypt desert festival hopes to boost local tourism
- Date: 9th April 2017
- Summary: FAYOUM, EGYPT (APRIL 7, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PARTICIPATING RALLY CARS PARKED IN THE DESERT CARS DRIVING THROUGH THE DESERT VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS SITTING IN SHADE AND BARBECUING PARTICIPATING CARS PARKED AROUND TENT TENTS IN THE DESERT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PARTICIPANT AND ENGINEER, AHMED SHOMAN, SAYING: "We thought of doing something to gather all the groups and make a desert event because there are a lot of people who participate in off-roading with cars or with bikes, some people do sandboarding, some people do stargazing and some people come to watch the wildlife. So we thought that the best thing would be to gather all these people with different interests in a one-day event that would serve as a festival for desert lovers and we called it desert festival like today. This is the first version of this day where all these people are gathered." CARS AND TENTS PEOPLE BARBECUING PEOPLE UNDER A TENT FAMILY SITTING AROUND THEIR CAR CAR PARKED IN THE DESERT CHILD PLAYING FOOTBALL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ONE OF THE ORGANISERS, MOSTAFA AL-ARABY, SAYING: "A lot of people have SUVS that they want to use and go out with outside the city and we saw these activities increase. This has a positive impact on the automobile market in the country so people started going out a lot which resulted in a lot of people making a living off going into the desert. We are focused on locals for now but we are striving to bring tourists to see the country in this capacity. But for now, since a lot of locals already come to the desert, there are people who benefit from that in terms of employment. So this creates some kind of movement in the market which we are all part of." CARS PARKED IN THE DESERT FAMILIES GATHERED AROUND THEIR CARS AND TENTS CARS PARKED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESERT MAN SITTING IN THE SHADE OUTSIDE TENT CARS PARKED / EGYPTIAN FLAG FLUTTERING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT FESTIVAL
- Embargoed: 23rd April 2017 15:20
- Keywords: Egypt Fayoum desert festival barbecue rally drivers SUVs cars
- Location: FAYOUM, EGYPT
- City: FAYOUM, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0016BOF239
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Nature lovers and rally drivers recently got together for Egypt's desert festival.
Dozens of families got together for the one-day event in Fayoum, nearly 75km (46 miles) south of Cairo, an area known for its soft sand dunes and the large Lake Qarun.
The event was organised by the country's off-roading community who wanted to extend the scope of the festival.
"We thought of doing something to gather all the groups and make a desert event because there are a lot of people who participate in off-roading with cars or with bikes, some people do sandboarding, some people do stargazing and some people come to watch the wildlife," said one of the participants Ahmed Shoman.
The one-day event also aims to encourage local tourism and encourages Egyptians to discover the beauty of the desert.
"Since a lot of locals already come to the desert, there are people who benefit from that in terms of employment. So this creates some kind of movement in the market which we are all part of," said Mostafa al-Araby, one of the organisers.
Organisers said they want to make it an annual event. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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