Calls for overhaul of 'discriminatory' Grand Egyptian Museum system which 'puts foreigners before locals'

An Egyptian lawmaker is urging authorities to amend the ticketing system for the newly opened Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which he says demotes Egyptian museum-goers to "second-class" status.

Freddy ElBaiady criticised the museum’s ticket sales policy, which sets quotas for the number of tickets sold to foreign visitors and Egyptian nationals.

His comments came after videos surfaced online earlier in November showing overcrowding in the museum, which saw visitors spilling onto the nearby Giza Plateau after being refused entry.

More than 27,000 tickets had been sold that day, exceeding the daily quota of 20,000 tickets for foreigners and locals. According to the museum’s director, Ahmed Ghoneim, the ratio should not exceed 60 percent and 40 percent in either direction.

Voicing his frustration on the "unacceptable" matter, ElBaiady told The Art Newspaper this week: "What matters now is that the issue is systematically corrected. Any quota system — whatever the percentages — should be cancelled altogether. Egyptians must not be placed in a secondary category when accessing their own heritage."

The lawmaker, who is the Vice President of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party and a member of parliament, has since put forward a formal request to end the quota system, urging Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy to take action on the issue.

"There is not a single country [in the world] that says to its citizens: 'Sorry, there is no place for Egyptians, we have finished your share, while the foreigner books and walks in as usual,'" he said in a Facebook post.

While the GEM has yet to take on board ElBaiady’s request, the museum has proceeded with an online pre-booking system. Prices for Egyptian adults are 200 Egyptian pounds ($4), while tickets for foreigners are 1,450 Egyptian pounds ($30).

The GEM officially opened to the public on the first of November, after twenty years of preparation and construction. It boasts a collection of 100,000 Egyptian artefacts spanning several periods and dynasties, including the Predynastic and Roman eras.

The museum houses 20,000 artefacts never before opened to the public, such as the complete Tutankhamun collection.

The GEM covers a total area of 500,000 square metres and has been hailed as the largest cultural building of the 21st century.