Perceptions of Using Private Dwellings at Gamaleyah as Airbnb Rent Listings in Old Historic Cairo

The social movement renowned as the "sharing economy" is becoming increasingly noticeable in online peer-to-peer platforms recently. One of these platforms is Airbnb; an accommodation marketplace that offers access to alternative accommodation. These platforms have a mega important socio-economic impact on tourist destinations. Old Cairo historic area encounters a lot of historical, heritage, and cultural features and folklores. Many owners of private homes in the area use them to accommodate guests and visitors to the area. Unfortunately, this is taking place under no organization or control by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) since Egyptian accommodation regulations do not include a classification for such rent places. However, the area is well known among tourists and visitors and is included in downtown tours organized by tour operators and guides. This paper discusses the idea of using these homes as rent listings using the Airbnb platform among the executives of Historical Cairo Development Project (HCDP), Ministry of Tourism (MoT), and Egyptian Tourism Federation (ETF) as well as academics heading Heritage programs in Egyptian, Bahrain, and British Universities. This paper is devoted to revealing the differences in these perceptions among guests, professional practitioners, and academics, and officials "executives" of the government. Results indicate that all parties are in line with the idea and they recommended a change of regulations for that purpose. Keywords: Airbnb platform, old Cairo, hospitality regulations, architectural heritage, local community welfare, functioning model