Egyptian tour guides are fighting to prevent foreigners from working in their profession. The Tour Guide Union, under the chairmanship of Mohammed Ghareeb, will meet with the Minister of Manpower and Immigration, Dr. Ahmed el-Borai, to demand preventing foreigners from working in the profession. Ghareeb told Youm7 this is not the first time the union brings up the problem of having foreigners working in tour guiding. He said that nobody, however, listens to the regulations and so foreigners continue to work in the profession. Ghareeb said the union will fight any foreign presence in tour guiding. "Egypt is the only country that still allows foreigners to work in this profession," said Ghareeb. He added that there is a question about the legality of foreign work in the tour guiding profession, and that he will be demanding answers from the Minister during the meeting. Egypt's tourism sector has been strongly hit by the lack of foreign tourists coming to Egypt in the wake of the January 25 Revolution. By fighting to keep foreigners from acting as tour guides, Egyptian tour guides are trying to protect their livelihoods.
