Designing souvenirs for tourists with a contemporary vision, combining the aesthetics of Pharaonic art and marine nature

Abstract

Based on the importance of the role of tourism in economic development, which relies on heritage cultures and arts, this research aims to benefit from the aesthetics of ancient Egyptian art and the marine nature of the Red Sea in designing souvenirs for tourists. The designs seek to merge authenticity with modernity. The research’s significance lies in its contribution to boosting the economy and directing attention towards developing and promoting tourism. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to achieve its hypotheses and objectives. An evaluation form was applied to measure the opinions of art, textile, and clothing experts, as well as a random sample of tourists and souvenir shop owners in the tourist city of Hurghada, regarding the proposed designs. The integration of decorative elements from ancient Egyptian art with marine nature was achieved using plain weave effects in the proposed designs, whose acceptance were evaluated. The results show that the designs achieved a high degree of acceptance and success based on the average evaluations of specialists, tourists, and souvenir shop owners. The research recommends encouraging and supporting designers and young graduates to design and produce tourist souvenirs.