ZEMCH 2015 - International Conference Proceedings | Page 117
Methodology
This paper is analytical qualitative study adopting an exploratory orientation in order to achieve
the following tasks:
• Displaying the main features of the Egyptian rural.
• Identifying the main aspects involved in the rural sustainable development and the rural tourism.
• Presenting tourism as a proposed tool for achieving a successful rural sustainability development.
• Viewing a primary model of tourism-rural sustainable development in the selected case study
area, in this case; Fayoum Oasis - Tunis village as a good sustainable rural touristic village in
western Egypt.
• Clarifying the importance of the awareness in the rural sustainable development.
• Formulate a set of recommendations depending on the extracted results.
Case Study: Fayoum Oasis - Tunis Village
Fayoum is a green oasis lies in the middle of the Desert, in the West of the Nile, located in the
North Upper Egypt Region. The governorate’s total area covers 6068 km2. Fayoum combines geographical and climatic characteristics of both Delta and Upper Egypt and the Western Desert; it
represents a valley, a delta, and a lake. This provides a diversity of rural activities such as; agriculture, fishing in Qaroun and Rayan Lakes, handicrafts in Tunis and Nazla village. Villages in Fayoum
are less crowded than in Delta and less polluted; people of Fayoum are more civilized than people
of the Delta, and less conservative than the population of Upper Egypt (El Sa’ed). Among the most
noted sustainable villages depending on rural tourism ‘Tunis’, Fayoum is not only a famous rural
tourism destination in Egypt, but also is a very important international tourism destination when
it comes to history, heritage and environmental eco-system. The following figures are illustrating
the tourism potentials and the rural activities in Fayoum oasis, and around Tunis village. The oasis
contains a special composition of rural and tourism along with four well known paths for visitors
and tourists. These potentials can easily be used to achieve a successful sustainable development.
Figure1: The tourism potentials along with the local/rural activities in Fayoum oasis
Integrating tourism with rural sustainable development in Egypt: case study of Fayoum Oasis 115