Been to Hurgharda. Horrible place, will never go back. Couldn't really take my blonde girlfriend anywhere due to local men pestering her/us. The same type Europe is now importing it would seem. Hotel was ok but the waiters and staff were constantly bobbing for tips and just being a nuisance. Went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner one night and while it seemed cheap, we were hit with 2-3 different taxes or some nonsense. Still much cheaper than the UK but the idea of being ripped off annoyed the hell out of me. Found a decent Indian place and just went there every night. Nice and quiet and waiters professional.
We were expected to tip the room cleaning staff daily and if they didn't deem it to be enough, we'd get crappy towels or minimal room service. Couldn't help but think that it's sad that citizens of such a historic and storied country are now resigned to begging for tips and handouts.
I'm going back to Greece this year. Not been for the last two years so not sure how the recent swaths of immigrants affected things but I guess I'll see.
This. The whole experience is designed to rip off tourists. We weren't 'allowed' to buy water outside the hotel. But for £15 (worked out about that) you could get a 2L bottle delivered to your room. We bought 5 2L bottles for a pound or two and used that the whole week.
Our tour 'guide' were the biggest crook and thief of all.
But anyway, a shame to see them reduced to beggars and con artists.
Your description fits pretty much most non western nations unfortunately. White people (especially) are essentially seen as money trees in most parts of the world.
The solution is to avoid the major tourist hotspots. It doesn't matter which country (or the predominant religion in that nation), go to somewhere where tourism isn't the major source or revenue and people will probably act like they would in the UK... Ignore you, unless they were providing a service, in which case they'd do it like anywhere else in the world.
Go to a "5 star" hotel in a tourist resort and you'll pretty much get the same sort of service anywhere in the world, especially if the difference between those inside the hotel and out is as big.
All that said, having been to Egypt twice (once in 2003, with armed guards and convoys everywhere, and then 2013, with what seemed like less armed guards) it's just a horrible caricature of itself in most places. The only reason we went the second time was to dive, so spent little time in the "resort", most of it on a boat. There are much nicer places to go if you're not diving or looking at ruins. Many of them will still have much of the above if you hit the tourist spots...
EDIT: And just for historical context - the reason for all the guards and convoys - My first trip was 6 years after the 1997
Luxor Massacre - the murder of over 62 people, mostly tourists. Terrorism has been a regular issue for the last 20 years (2005 and 2006 also had attacks). Nothing has changed, yet to many everything appears to have changed. We have short memories.
