Celebration of Saint George El Rezykat in Luxor Governorate

Abdallah, Mary Tanious; Ismaill, Shaza Gamal; Rifaat, Hassan

Celebration of Saint George El Rezykat in Luxor Governorate

Authors

¹ Researcher, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Luxor University, Egypt

² Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Helwan University , Egypt

³ Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Luxor University, Egypt

Abstract

Luxor is world-renowned for its extensive ancient Egyptian heritage. However, in addition to historical and archaeological sites, the region offers a diverse range of cultural and religious tourism opportunities. Religious festivals are an important but underutilised component of Upper Egyptian tourism.
As a result, the study aims to shed light on Rezykat's St. George Festival.
The St. George Festival (Moulid Mar Girgis), held annually in Rezykat near Armant, is one of Egypt's most important Christian religious celebrations. The festival attracts thousands of Coptic Christians from all over the country and commemorates the patron saint, St. George, through rituals, prayers, processions, and vibrant community activities. Despite its cultural and spiritual richness, this festival remains largely absent from the marketed tourism portfolio in Luxor and Aswan.
The study adopted a qualitative approach by conducting insightful interviews on the common themes of the St. George Festival in Rezeigat near Armant.
To gain insights into the marketing potential of the St. George Festival, The findings were categorized under the following themes: marketing barriers, cultural sensitivity in terms of religious context and religious perceptions, logistical challenges, opportunities for integration between the festival and archaeological sites near the monastery site, seasonal timing of the festival and peak tourism season.

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