SHARM EL-SHEIKH - Imagine walking along the Champs Elysées in Paris, with its famous boutiques and gourmet restaurants. Imagine in front of every store one, two or three young men who obviously don't fit into this scene inviting you to enter their shop. You politely decline and continue on your way. One of the young men follows you, grabs your arm, steps in front of you, looks you straight in the eye and says: “I'll smash your head if you don't buy something from my store.” You're baffled. You look around for a policeman. When you find one, you call for help. The policeman strolls towards you, and then begins to talk with the young man. Obviously, an acquaintance. The young man in turn slips something inconspicuously into the policeman's hand. The policeman escorts you away, deterring you from pressing charges. Do you think you would ever return to that street again? Do you think this could really happen in Paris? It is, of course, unlikely. Unfortunately, however, in the popular Sharm el-Sheikh tourist district of Na'ama Bay such scenes are all too common. And the young men are called kharteya. We all enjoy the rave reviews of tourists who write about their love of Egypt and their wonderful experiences in Um Al-Dunya. But reality has to sink in. Tourism is so important to the Egyptian economy that we must face this problem before it is too late. A significant number of tourists on Tripadvisor, as well as other travel review websites, have complained of unpleasant experiences in Na'ama Bay. According to one individual, the shopkeepers of the bay “shout and swear at you, threatening you if you don't buy anything. They've got tourism all wrong. It's a very intimidating place.” Another critic writes: “As soon as my foot hit the pavement as I got out of the taxi, the locals were on my case, trying to force me to come into their shops. They were rude, racist, arrogant and aggressive. “My girlfriend felt threatened and unsafe … you are constantly being followed down the street getting verbally abused for not going into their shops… They need to learn that by being polite and not hassling tourists they will benefit. People would leave bigger tips; people would go into the shops if they felt less pressured. They need to learn and quick. I would never return to Sharm.” Another, writes simply, “Na'ama Bay = Nightmare Bay.” We also read the following: “I came to Na'ama Bay in the hope of seeing Oriental Paradise. But all that I saw were rude sellers, wild prices and awful insanitary conditions…” One tourist trying to find an explanation for such behaviour wrote: “Shopkeepers are friendly, but they just attract customers in a different style and unfortunately it is not the style that Westerners are used to….” Another responds: “It may be the Egyptian way but it isn't our way, and it's our money they're after. People simply won't return and in the long term this may well have a bad impact on the area.” “Shop owners only let you leave when you buy something. Hassling customers may be acceptable to Egyptians, but it is alien to Western Europeans.” Western Europeans might not accept this treatment, but the same is no less true of Egyptians. They too perceive such behaviour as aggressive, rude and unacceptable. Some Western travellers give advice on how to deal with those kharteya: “A firm NO will do the trick.” “Don't answer any questions.” “Avoid eye contact at all cost.” “Don't shake hands.” And, “Should they bother you, let it go over your head.” In September 2010, a group of shopowners in Na'ama Bay, who don't hire kharteya, turned off their lights and closed their stores in protest at their presence. They decided not to reopen until the police kicked the kharteya out of Na'ama. To their dismal surprise, when the police arrived, not a single khartee was to be found. Instead the police grabbed the shopowners who were protesting and took them to the police station. Incidents such as these arouse one's suspicion. Who are these kharteya and why are they so powerful and influential? Al-Kharteya are young men who come to Sharm el-Sheikh from different parts of Egypt, but mainly Nazlet el-Seman near the Giza Pyramids and el-Gamalia in Islamic Cairo. The word ‘touts' could be used to describe them. A tout (generally male) is usually of questionable credentials and devotes himself to flaunting a particular business in an aggressive manner. They normally turn up in Sharm, looking for a job. Perfume shopowners customarily hire them. With no training and ‘working' solely on commission, they are set loose to attract customers. Once a khartee has found ‘work', he recruits his jobless friends back home who spend their days in cafés, smoking shisha and watching videoclips of semi-naked women on satellite TV. When they come to Sharm and they see the semi-naked tourists walking in the streets, live and uncensored, they often harass them. Amr Wahsh, a veteran of Sharm and specifically of Na'ama Bay, described one such incident to the Egyptian Mail. A female tourist was walking down the street when a drooling khartee put out his hand. She extended hers in return, expecting a quick handshake. Instead, he grabbed her hand firmly and pulled the shocked lady into his store, babbling in what seemed to be English. The lady started to cry as she tried to loosen his grip. Having succeeded, she ran out of the store. The khartee, yelling obscenities at her, ran after her. The witness, Wahsh, had to physically restrain the khartee and rebuke him. Wahsh once owned ‘Cherry Supermarket', well known to many regulars in Sharm. As he notes, Na'ama Bay used to be a hot spot for affluent tourists until roughly five years ago. “Na'ama is Na'ama. It is the pulsating heart of Sharm. It has an inimitable spirit, but the kharteya are destroying it,” he reflected. “One used to walk along the Promenade and smell the most expensive perfumes and colognes on passersby. Sharm was chic and clean. But now, look at it. These kharteya are killing Sharm. They are driving tourists away. I had to close my business for several reasons, and they were one of them.” Many started working in Sharm back in 2001. Then, after the 2005 bombings, shopowners were suffering, so some of them hired kharteya. “Increased hassle from shopkeepers and taxi touts led to a very disappointing evening. It's a shame, Na'ama just isn't what it used to be,” wrote one British tourist. Incidentally …quot; and unfortunately …quot; many British tourists now refer to Sharm el-Sheikh as the new Benidorm. Benidorm is a beautiful Spanish resort city whose reputation was ruined by low-cost holiday packages, which apparently encouraged visits by groups of British tourists who regularly engaged in binge drinking. Travel agencies, in cahoots with low-cost airlines and charters, also offer cheap, all-inclusive packages to Sharm, encouraging tourism of the binge drinker variety. This has hurt Sharm's reputation even more, especially as the city strives to attract decent tourists, including families seeking the haven they once enjoyed. From kharteya to binge-drinking louts, Sharm has a long way to go before it can restore its once-stellar reputation. Why are these kharteya sprouting all over Na'ama and why are they above the law? Are they possibly involved in drugs or the black market, if they have been able to survive the downturn in the economy and the lack of tourists? Many veteran Sharmers complained to the authorities, but nothing was done. Sharm el-Sheikh is called ‘Peace City', but where is the peace for our honoured guests and tourists if the kharteya are given the leeway to harass and even abuse them? Once a location known for its glamour, Na'ama is now crumbling under the kharteya's mob-like influence. Sharm must not tolerate these kharteya. The authorities must devise a concrete plan to rid the city of these thugs. But if not, tourism will be diverted to other glamorous destinations, like Paris, where kharteya never exist and Egypt's losses will be great. [email protected]
