By now, most are familiar with Euro Summer— wealthy tourists and influencers flocking to the likes of St. Tropez and Mallorca to lounge and indulge, while making the destinations their entire personality trait. The starter pack is simple; it involves an expensive wardrobe, a liking for partying, and skin that is tanned to perfection.
The Middle Eastern equivalent is a Sahel Summer, referring to Egypt’s north coast, which boasts incredible beaches, vibrant nightlife (featuring regular Amr Diab concerts), and renowned restaurants. “Sahel Season” lasts from early July to September, which is the best time of year to go for the weather and lineup of parties and concerts, attracting thousands of people from around the world over the period.
The north coast is located over 200km away from the capital, making it a desirable option for those wanting to step away from the heavily congested city. However, some of those who have travelled to al-Sahel al-Shimaly as it is known in Arabic, for a bout of serenity and calm, have been surprised by a different kind of hassle. This has ignited discussions about classism in the region and comments on how summers there are less than luxurious at times.
In the north coast, QR codes have in recent years been issued to those who own a property there, and are required to gain access to beaches and gated communities to enforce security. In some of the newer developments, QR codes are even needed for accessing specific parts of the beach, restaurants, to enter shopping malls, or to rent lounge chairs, frustrating those going there as they go through the inconvenience of pulling it out for everything they do.
Visiting from the UK in June, Tania Ahmed booked a week-long holiday in the north coast’s Amwaj area, nestled in the popular El-Alamein, where she said she hoped for a relaxing beachside holiday with her husband and daughter. “We needed QR codes for anything we wanted to do. If we wanted to go to the beach (which is a public place), we had to present a QR code and at times, were refused entry as the beaches were restricted and reserved for the owners,” she told Mille World.
“We visited Marassi where we not only had to present a QR code but also comply with the minimum spending requirement…we were unable to leave Marassi without presenting a receipt to show our expenditure for the evening,” she added. For Ahmed, the experience meant she was constantly thinking about having her ID and QR codes ready rather than enjoying her holiday.
“It was extremely frustrating as at times, our phones were unable to hold charge to keep us going through the day and night. We found that we were compromising by using our phones less to sustain the charge to present QR codes” she said, calling the process “laborious.”
On TikTok, scores of videos have circulated in recent months, with people blasting what they have called Sahel’s “QR code obsession,” and highlighting how security staff pester holiday-goers. A check of your unique QR code allows security to verify your identity and allow you back into the residential compound you’re renting, but can sometimes include multiple checks, restrictions on the areas you can go to, or the guests you can bring with you.
Unregistered guests or people without the necessary QR code are barred from entering, making meeting up with friends staying at other resorts or at other beaches cumbersome and, at times, impossible. The complex web of security checks to just sink your feet in the sand has been described as exclusivity on steroids.
A Libyan-British content creator, who requested to remain anonymous due to hateful comments she received when speaking about the topic online, told Mille her experience this summer was “extremely frustrating” and that some compounds are stricter than others.
“In Marassi, I get through the main gates with a code or sticker on my car, then arrive at the second gate to enter my house, and it’s the same situation. If I want to go to dinner in the compound I’m already in, I need a QR code or sticker to park my car,” she explained. “…Even in my own home, I’m limited to who I can invite, and there’s face ID everywhere – every time I leave the supermarket I need either a face ID or QR codes again,” she added.
Despite the bureaucracy of it all, she says that she doesn’t hold the staff accountable as they are following orders and that she is aware there may be “extreme repercussions” if instructions are not followed correctly. She also noted that the strict rules could be down to people previously selling QR codes.
“I haven’t experienced this anywhere else, and we have vacation homes abroad,” she said, noting that sometimes staff made things difficult if her phone ran out of battery and she could not present a QR code, despite having a registered sticker on her car. “Overall, it really is about balance. It’s important to have rules and keep everyone safe, but to also not remove the rights of people who live there and their freedom to enjoy what God created,” she said.
The heightened security, coupled with outrageously expensive cost of ordinary goods in the region compared to the rest of Egypt, has led many to point towards growing classism in the north coast. “…You bought a property, you have a QR code, you want to invite your friends— you can’t. Because your friends are poor and they don’t have a property on the beach,” Egyptian TikTok creator Farah Fahim says in a video.
@farah_fahim The guy at the gate in sahel hesitates to let me in my own home 🤣 #sahel #beach #egypt #niche #qrcode #eid #ساحل #refreshing #summer ♬ оригинальный звук – cars / wxshide 📌
In another post, she states, “my Egyptian mind cannot comprehend that I went to this beach in Spain and nobody asked me for a f****** QR code,” adding that security in Sahel “hesitated to let me in my own home.”
Speaking to Mille World, she said: “There’s definitely a classist atmosphere, people always try to one-up each other,” adding that she chooses to go only for the beaches, which to her are the “best part” of the region. “People pay a lot of money for properties in Sahel, essentially to be surrounded by people who are alike,” she explained, highlighting that there is also a clear difference in what people choose to wear there, as they have the freedom to wear what they want, “without being judged or harassed.”
For Ahmed, she believes there is a much more efficient way of controlling who enters or leaves the villages, confirming that to her, too, it became clear that “the intense security measures are deliberately designed to keep a certain type of demographic group from entering.”
She said that on a day trip to the coastal city of Alexandria, she learned there was a stark difference in prices, with a small plate of chips costing the equivalent of £5.00 in El-Alamein, compared to a humble £0.05 in Alexandria.
The growing concerns being voiced online are by Egyptians, who watch what once was a care-free trip to the beach become a distant memory, as coasts are divided into hierarchical sections for owners, renters, and registered guests.
