280218_Luxor-Egypt SECAP Final_revised

choice, providing loans at an attractive rate as an incentive to support the transition. Hotels and resorts
having benefited from subsidies or loans from the fund would be invited to replenish this fund with a
contribution proportionate to the saving obtained through refurbishment operations.
Note that this refurbishment plan could create many jobs in Luxor and develop a real expertise in promoting
green and sustainable resorts and hotels.
Cruise fleet
Like for hotels and resorts, there are significant margin for improvement in energy efficiency of cruise boats
and dhows sailing on the river Nile. Considering the very low rate of occupancy in cruise boats, it is urgent to
promote a rational use of the fleet, decommissioning old boats and refurbishing the one that would stay
operational. The Governorate of Luxor could facilitate the establishment of “Green boat refurbishment fund”
that could be replenished by tourist operators benefiting from loans or subsidies to upgrade their boat. Note
that modern engines could dramatically reduce energy consumption.
Some on board functions and services could also be supplied only from renewable electricity produced with
solar PV installed on the rooftop of cruise boats.
It would be also important to rationalize occupancy on cruise boats to avoid having some travelling with half
(or even less) of their carrying capacity. This is probably more complex to organize. However, the City of Luxor
can facilitate a negotiation among operators to promote different models of planning cruises with the
objective of reaching the optimum energy consumption per tourist on board (more tourist on a boat meaning
less energy consumption per capita, and a better benefit for cruise boats operators).
As mentioned earlier, it is necessary to improve waste management on board of cruise boats to avoid Nile
pollution. Collecting waste on the dock, will also allow separating bio-waste that could be then processed in
bio-digesters to produce biogas.
The fleet improvement programme should extend to redesigning the docks to make them a demonstrative
example of what a “green harbour” on river Nile could be. Obviously the new plans should promote solar PV
equipment as a major source of renewable energy supply for all activities along the docks. Hence, renewable
energy will supply docking boats avoiding unnecessary use of diesel motors when cruise boats and dhows
are not sailing.
This “Green dock programme” should be connected with the Sustainable, Clean and Green Urban Mobility
Master Plan to promote a smooth and easy transportation service from the airport to the dock and return
and from the hotels to the dock and return with the ultimate objective of minimizing the need for buses or
cars on the road between these different locations.
On land tourists’ transports
It is urgent to promote upgrading of on land transportation equipment taking advantage of modern
technologies (hybrids, biogas, electric vehicles, etc.) to significantly reduce fossil energy consumption. It is
also urgent to optimise tourism vehicles occupancy to reduce the number of vehicle in use in the city of Luxor
and around the heritage sites.
One option would be to establish a “green transport line” between the City centre of Luxor, where most
hotels are and the most important heritage sites such as Luxor temple, Karnak temple, Valley of the King,
using electric buses or biogas ones would be a nice symbol of Luxor switching to renewable energy. This
would be the great come back of the “sun” at the centre of City of Gods!
One can also think ways of modernizing the use of horse carts, which are parts of the identity of the City of
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