EVALUATING THE RELATIONAL TOURISM EXPERIENCE IN CAIRO

   This paper aims to evaluate the relational experience that tourists have during their stay in Cairo, Egypt. The survey focused on tourists’ impressions towards the destination beyond the enclaves that are strictly devoted to tourism services. The research classified the day-to-day aspects of the urban tourism experience into three dimensions: the functional value, community interactions and destination atmosphere. The research concluded that the authenticity aspect, the community’s sense of hospitality and the quality of tourism services are the only attributes that scored favorable ratings among respondents. The majority of relational tourism attributes are in need in further development. The Chi-square tests indicated that tourist perceptions towards various dimensions differ according to their area of residence, level of education and purpose of visit. The paper proposed a model that can help policy makers and national government agencies to enhance the relational tourism experience in their future plans.