DEVELOPMENT: The Red Sea Beckons the Tourist

By Cam McGrath Reprint | | Print |

Cam McGrath

PORT GHALIB, Egypt, Nov 14 2003 (IPS) - Egypt’s southern Red Sea coast was always a poorly kept secret. Divers and adventurous travellers have long known of its pristine coastline and world class dive sites, but lack of infrastructure kept it off the tourist map.

This is set to change now, say tourism officials.

"A part of Egypt’s new strategy for tourism development till 2017 is to create integrated tourism centres in areas attractive to tourists," says Ahmed El- Khadem, director-general of the Egyptian Federation of Tourism Chambers (EFTC).

The southern Red Sea coast is one such area because "it enjoys one of the most magnificent reef walls in the world…and is a true divers’ paradise," El- Khadem says.

Tourist development has been creeping down Egypt’s so-called deep south for nearly a decade, but infrastructure has failed to keep pace. A handful of dive resorts and secluded spas spread over hundreds of kilometres have no external water, electricity or fixed-line telephone connections.

"Freshwater was the biggest challenge because there was no source," says El-Khadem. "But two private desalinisation plants have now opened to serve the area."

Another challenge to developing this remote stretch of coastline was transportation – or the lack of it. Until recently the only way to the deep south was a gruelling four-hour bus ride from Hurghada, a coastal resort city 450 km southeast of Cairo.

The opening of an international airport has created new possibilities for tourism growth. Operational since late 2001 Marsa Alam International Airport is just a four-hour flight from most European capitals.

Kuwait’s M.A. Kharafi Group built the state-of-the-art airport under an agreement with the Egyptian government. It is privately managed under a separate agreement with the French company Aeroports de Paris.

"The airport serves an area of 100 kilometres on either side," says airport general manager Jacquy Pain. "It was the first airport built and managed by the private sector."

Marsa Alam International Airport receives about 20 international charter flights a week, and reported over 200,000 passenger arrivals in its first year of operation. Its modular 5,000 square metre terminal can be expanded to handle up to four million passengers a year.

The Kharafi Group is also the main investor in nearby Port Ghalib, a 1.2-billion dollar integrated resort community being built from scratch on 18 kilometres of coastline around a natural harbour just five kilometres from the airport. The resort will include houses, shops, luxury hotels, restaurants, entertainment facilities, artificial lakes and a championship golf course.

The heart of the new community is its private marina, said to be the largest in the Middle East. The marina has berths for 1,000 yachts and is expected to attract pleasure boats from around the region when the resort community opens late next year.

"International yacht owners are looking for a destination to park for a few days and unwind a bit," Jim Pringle, senior manager with the Kharafi Group told IPS. "All complain that there is not much available on the Red Sea."

Port Ghalib will be the first resort westbound boats will reach after leaving the dreary port of Aden in Yemen, 1,700 km away. It also hopes to lure Arab yacht owners seeking vibrant ports closer home.

The port community is still under construction but operators are already using the marina to take tourists to nearby dive sites. Its proximity to the new international airport has proven of added value.

"Divers fly in from all over the world and within five minutes of arriving they are already heading out," says Pringle. The four island marine parks in the area are rated among the world’s top dive spots, he says. "Before the opening of the marina it was impossible to visit all four in a one-week trip."

The new air and sea hubs at Port Ghalib have also increased tourist traffic to other resorts in the deep south. Nearly 30 hotels with 4,000 rooms are now operational in the area. They report high occupancy rates despite the regional instability that has plagued Egypt’s tourism industry.

"Many tourists, especially Italians and Germans are coming now by charter flights," says Hani El-Hadi, assistant sales manager for Soly Mar Resorts. "They like this area because it is has great diving and water activities, and not too many people have visited before."

Kamil Sedky who owns the resort fears the new wave of tourists could spoil the beauty of the deep south.

"The government must control development so that this area does not turn into another Hurghada," he says, referring to the Red Sea resort mired by unplanned growth. "Tourists come to see the beautiful coral reefs, so we must protect this valuable resource at all cost. Because if we do, we have something really special."