The Aswan Declaration was organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and hosted by the Egyptian government in Aswan, Egypt’s ancient city on the Nile, as a prelude to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. More than 100 delegates from 15 countries attended the declaration which grew out of Egypt’s work on responsible tourism guidelines and involved study tours of the Egyptian model of community-based tourism. OHK was instrumental in drafting the declaration and facilitating the declaration event, spending two months in Egypt studying the Ministry of Tourism’s efforts and meeting with decision makers and communities in tourist destinations undergoing planning and growth. The declaration was drafted after field-testing more than 20 responsible tourism projects and consulting with hundreds of community activities and individuals.

The declaration read by Egypt’s Minister of Tourism (shown in the photo above) made the following ministerial-level commitment: “We will take steps to strengthen our national planning and executive efforts to address underprivileged communities and gender inequality and promote sustainable tourism growth as a key eradicator of poverty.” The declaration concluded two days of presentations, during which OHK’s Ahmed Hassan presented poverty reduction strategies implemented in Siwa, the South Red Sea, the Western Desert, and the Sinai that highlighted community-protective national strategies and investor-engagement models. He also ran a workshop that focused on practical tools for tourism practitioners to bridge gaps between tourism policy and hospitality operations.