LUXOR/HURGHADA: Maree is a land-owning villager from Luxor who has for years been catering to the needs of tourists to generate extra income. As tourism started to boom in the 1980s, he set up a cafeteria in one corner of his land lying on a strategic location on the Nile to entertain visitors on their way from sight to sight.Prior to a series of terrorist attacks on tourists during the 1990s, which have dramatically affected the scene, Maree's small project was a natural response to the then booming industry.Today, however, Maree has lost interest in both tourism and farming. He's putting his land up for sale. "If it brings me more than a million pounds, why not sell it? argued the Saaedi fallah (peasant from Upper Egypt)."But I am interested only in foreign buyers. Not much is to be expected from Egyptians, said the cynical villager.Maree's words, background and new attitude are all symptomatic of a significant change that is transpiring in Upper Egypt, especially in cities like Luxor, Aswan and Hurghada, where some tourists have decided to settle down for good.Real estate agents as well as hotel and restaurant staff have now become more than accustomed to those new settlers who are presently giving construction and real estate businesses an unprecedented boost.Some of those settlers include retired German, French, British and Scandinavian nationals who have decided to settle in special residential units in these warm, sunny resorts, away from the frosty climate of their homelands. Those units that are not offered for sale are rented out mostly to Russians and other European nationals doing business or working in the tourism sector. "Look at this plush block of flats, said Mahbub, a taxi driver from Luxor, as he pointed to a white building shining across a field in the heart of Al Buaarat village in Luxor."It belongs to Redah, a friend of mine who has been married for the last few years to a Dutch woman. They bought the land from one of the villagers and they are likely to gain much out of selling the flats to the khawagas [foreigners], said Mahbub."Why are you raising your eyebrows in surprise? asked Mahbub. "The taxi I am working on was gifted to my brother by his French wife. She is 10 years older than my brother Alam who is 19. "She goes back to her country for six weeks and comes here for a fresh honeymoon before she leaves again. My family owns a small plot of green land on which we are planning to build a block of flats with the help of my brother's wife. She's also got us a boat that we operate between the east and west banks, said Mahbub. Interestingly, while the media have highlighted the case of scores of young men like Redah and Alam, they opted to focus on the social dimension of the issue, ignoring the direct impact of such unions on the future of economy and labor in those rural surroundings. "There is no future here other than tying the knot with a blonde woman, stressed Mahbub. "My diploma in agriculture is useless and I can't keep driving a vehicle owned by my brother. You know the way out so why wait? One is already falling for me but I won't give her the time of day until I am sure she's ready to meet all my requirements. "If you have a penny, you're worth a penny, said Mostafa from Sharqia, who owns a small bazaar in the commercial district of Hurghada. "A British couple started it for me, he said. "We are serving each other's interests in a place where business is in full swing. Here you can trade, work as a broker for real estate agents or take care of tourists. Back home in my village nothing could be done other than plough the land. "Don't blame those chaps for their attitude, commented Dr Nadra Wahdan, sociologist at the National Planning Institute. "The deterioration of public systems like health, education, housing, etc. is likely to reflect negatively on the ethical values of people."The trio of increase in population, contraction of green areas and poverty will naturally result in deplorable conditions such as these, but I wonder how could a law allowing foreigners to own property and land be introduced without examining its social impact? she asked."Several downsides ranging from neglect of original vocations to a high exposure to sexually-transmitted diseases should have been taken into account in an environment where people have already been invaded by the values of tourists, she noted.Wahdan's words are eerily realistic. Agriculture no longer pays, and amid the lure of rising land prices in the Nile Valley, offering it for sale is now the easier and more lucrative option. For many residents, not too much is to be expected of tourism other than hooking up withthe blondes of their dreams. Despite promises of investment in Upper Egypt, true steps are materializing too slowly to give any hope for change. The new projects aimed at developing the planning of Greater Cairo indicate that the south will continue to be sidelined. There is fear that towers seen side-by-side with dwindling green areas in the capital will be a common scene in the next a decade in cities like Luxor and Aswan. There is also no real future for land as the young generations of farmers' children are heading for the service sectors in big cities."In years to come we won't find enough to eat. We will have to import all our food, regretted Maree. "We definitely need a miracle.
