The cultural ‘product' is a reproduction of a life style that was once born out of localized, temporal needs where people of the Nile valley utilized resources that they can reach to address these needs aligned with the societal context. This paper aims to examine the approach of cultural tourism reproduction in Upper Egypt and questions the current models for cultural economy and questions their alignment with current societal context. The paper discusses the contradictions between tourism growth models, and sustainable local development along capitalistic exploitation potentials. It studies the interventions proposed/going-on Esna city center and possible development scenarios within the Egyptian context. The different approaches to utilize community crafts and the cultural economy within the city center are explored and critically analyzed for their alignment with local community sustainable development.