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The state of eco-tourism in Egypt

Ecotourism is getting a lot of attention now, but just how significant of a force is the budding industry in Egypt? Armed with a wealth of natural attractions scattered across three deserts, two seas and the Nile Delta, Egypt is ripe with options for more sustainable travel. The government has in recent years started speaking about the importance of better nurturing Egypt’s ecotourism attractions in its strategy to revive the tourism industry at large. And while there have been some efforts made in that regard, operators say a few fundamental hurdles still stand in the way of fully realizing that potential. So what is the state of ecotourism at the moment and just how much is being done to support the transition to sustainable travel?

Pinpointing the exact size of Egypt’s ecotourism industry is tricky , in large part because what counts as “ecotourism” isn’t clear. There are general principles: Minimizing harmful environmental impact, maintaining natural areas, and protecting indigenous culture are all core components of this kind of travel. But as far as concrete certifications are concerned, there are no unified rules and regulations, meaning operators are the ones left to decide exactly how ecologically sound their practices should be.

In Egypt, ecotourism generally refers to lower-carbon accommodation like eco-lodges and camping that are situated in the country’s many natural protectorates. For Basata — one of the oldest eco-lodges and campsites in Sinai — ecotourism means using fresh water sparingly, sorting trash and engaging with the local community. “We use a dual plumbing system where saltwater is used for toilets and cleaning activities and fresh water for our showers,” founder Sherif El Ghamrawy tells Enterprise. A portion of their food waste goes to feeding livestock and whatever remains is used to manufacture mud bricks on site, which they use to build new structures.

In Siwa, the guiding philosophy is similar. “Creating a sustainable travel destination consists of three main pillars: Respecting natural heritage, reviving cultural heritage and engaging the local community in heritage conservation,” Dr. Mounir Naemattalla, founder of luxury ecolodge Adrere Amellal and sustainable development consultancy EQI , tells us.

Local operators insist that the interest is there : “I think people want to experience nature and stay in eco-lodges but there currently aren’t enough,” Ghamrawy says. Eco-lodges and “semi-eco lodging” — as Ghamrawy described some of the campsites between Nuweiba and Taba — actually attract more visitors than hotels in the area do, he explained.

And official figures suggest a rising appreciation of Egypt’s natural beauty: Some 1.1 mn tourists visited protected areas between 2018 and 2021, a figure that was 5x greater than what the Environment Ministry had anticipated. In FY2019-2020, ticket sales at these sites reportedly generated revenues of EGP 30 mn , more than triple the sum in the four fiscal years prior.

This is part of a global trend: The global ecotourism industry in 2019 was estimated to be worth USD 181.1 bn in 2019, and is projected to reach USD 333.8 bn by 2027. Ecotourism in Africa alone is now worth some USD 29 bn a year employing 3.6 mn people, and is crucial to conservation and economic development efforts in remote parts of the region.

What has the government done so far to support ecotourism? Over the past two years the government has started to speak publicly about the importance of better utilizing our natural resources for tourist activities. The Environment Ministry earlier this year launched an ecotourism campaign, dubbed Eco Egypt , to promote 13 of the country’s 30 nature reserves. Maintaining the health of natural reserves is one of the ministry’s top priorities at the moment, Tamer Kamal El Din, General Manager of Red Sea Protectorates at the Environment Ministry tells us. More specifically, the ministry has been working on developing a new system for accurately logging and studying ecosystems’ health, constructing dams in flood zones like Wadi Degla, installing buoys at popular dive sites and building bird-watching towers in Sharm El Sheikh.

What more can be done to support the industry? Putting in place clear rules that specifically govern the activities of companies in the ecotourism space would be a good start, says Ghamrawy. These include regulations on things such as how close to the coastline they can construct buildings, what materials to use and how to organize trips for guests. He adds that he is currently working alongside a number of operators on drafting a set of guidelines for how to run ecologically sound tourism businesses.

A little help for SMEs: Making it easier to register ecotourism-focused SMEs would really encourage a lot more activity too, Ghamrawy says. For some groups running low-capital operations like guided trekking tours in the mountains and wadis of South Sinai, the barrier to entry can be overwhelming. “It doesn’t make much sense to be governed by the same rules that large tourism operations are bound by,” Ghamrawy says. Shifting these rules would jive perfectly with the government’s policy of supporting SMEs, he said.

Opening up the outdoors: Easier access to nature would be a huge leap in supporting the industry, Wael Abed, who owns Al Tarfa Desert Sanctuary at the Dakhla Oasis in New Valley, tells us. Wadis and outdoor locations not designated as protectorates often see restricted access due to heightened security concerns in remote regions. Making it easier for visitors to access these locations would be a huge boost for the industry, both Ghamrawy and Abed agree.

Awareness campaigns on sustainability and environmentally sound development are at the forefront of Naemattalla’s concern, he tells us.

More private sector involvement with natural protectorates could be on the horizon. Protectorates are technically public land, which means they can’t be sold to private entities, but granting operation rights for limited time periods are currently on the books, says Kamal El Din. Environment Ministry proposals have long pushed for legislation to allow private companies to manage protected areas , similar to how Orascom Development won rights to manage the Pyramids Plateau . But so far there hasn’t been much happening on that front. The first steps towards private-sector involvement in nature reserves took place earlier this year with the introduction of a privately owned “ Bedouin Tent, ” at the Petrified Forest protectorate in New Cairo.

And it doesn’t necessarily have to be driven by altruism. Investing in ecotourism doesn’t always need to be a philanthropic endeavour, Naemattalla explains. “Any new product done well has a great chance for success. A commitment to sustainability is one of the most powerful forms of branding for a country, a region or an enterprise,” he says.

While there’s still a lot to be done to better support ecotourism, creating a thriving and sustainable industry will depend mostly on larger global trends like the resumption of global air travel and more visitors entering the country. What is clear though is that the way to better ensure visitors and operators commit to sustainable travel will likely require more than just promotional campaigns.

Your top climate stories for the week:

• West Bakr wind farm is now live: Lekela’s Actis-backed 250 MW wind farm became fully operational last week.
• Private sector eyes EV assembly: General Motors and Al Mansour Automotive could partner up to produce electric vehicles in Egypt under a MoU signed by the two companies last week.
• New ESG bonds are coming to Egypt: Companies in Egypt will soon be able to list social, ESG, gender equity and women’s empowerment, and sustainable development bonds on the EGX.
• Plastic Bank has collected 2.7k tonnes of plastic waste from Egypt and hopes to collect a total of 5k tonnes by 2023, the company announced in a statement .

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How eco is eco-tourism a systematic assessment of resorts on the red sea, egypt.

1. Introduction

1.1. mass tourism, 1.2. eco-tourism, 1.3. criticism of eco-tourism, 1.4. eco-tourism along the egyptian red sea coast, 1.5. factors affecting environmental footprint of red sea resorts, 1.5.1. locational constraints and site planning, 1.5.2. design factors, 1.5.3. management factors, 2.1. mapping from satellite imagery and field surveys, 2.2. interviews, 2.3. critique of tda land parceling, 3.1. overall development footprint, 3.2. location of resort features relative to geomorphic setting.

• Conventional resorts with the parcel located dominantly away from wadi floors (e.g., Shams Alam Resort).
• Conventional resorts with the parcel located dominantly on wadi floors (e.g., Lahamy Bay Resort).
• Eco-lodges with the parcel located dominantly away from wadi floors (e.g., Deep South camp).
• placed buildings outside the wadi floor, (e.g., Marsa Shagra Eco-lodge), or
• placed some buildings within the wadi floor (e.g., Abu Dabbab)

3.3. Design Factors

3.4. management, 4. discussion, 5. conclusions, author contributions, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

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Share and Cite

Gohar, A.; Kondolf, G.M. How Eco is Eco-Tourism? A Systematic Assessment of Resorts on the Red Sea, Egypt. Sustainability 2020 , 12 , 10139. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310139

Gohar A, Kondolf GM. How Eco is Eco-Tourism? A Systematic Assessment of Resorts on the Red Sea, Egypt. Sustainability . 2020; 12(23):10139. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310139

Gohar, Amir, and G. Mathias Kondolf. 2020. "How Eco is Eco-Tourism? A Systematic Assessment of Resorts on the Red Sea, Egypt" Sustainability 12, no. 23: 10139. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122310139

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Sustainable Travel & Ecotourism in Egypt

Until a few years ago, scant attention was paid in Egypt to the environmental impact of the millions of tourists who visit every year.

This has started to change, as foreign donors have pressed the government on the consequences of environmental degradation caused by massive development along the Red Sea coast.

Egypt has established 21 protected areas, and foreign donors, including the European Union, have contributed large amounts of capital to develop them on behalf of future generations of Egyptians.

The best known of these protected areas are St. Catherine protected area, Ras Mohamed National Park, and the Wadi Rayan protectorate. Read more about the protected areas at the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) website (www.eeaa.gov.eg/protectorates).

A number of resorts on the Sinai Peninsula, down the Red Sea coast between Gouna and Marsa Allam, and even in Cairo have begun to participate in environmental certification programs designed to assess their environmental footprint and maximize their sustainability. One of the more common ones is Green Globe 21 (www.ec3global.com/products-programs/green-globe). The program is named for the U.N. environmental Agenda 21 program (www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/index.htm). You can contribute to making tourism greener by learning about the program and asking about it when you make your booking: Make it clear that your tourist dollars prefer to flow to sustainable enterprises.

Additionally, a number of local Egyptian NGOs have emerged that work on raising awareness of environmental issues and train tourism workers in ways that they can preserve the natural capital on which their jobs depend.

The Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) is focused on marine issues along the coast. Read more about their efforts to protect marine life, coral, and wrecks at www.hepca.com.

Red Sea Rangers is an organization based on the Red Sea coast that aims to protect the marine environment over 700 km (435 miles) of coastline. It has an interesting and informative website at www.redseaparks.net.

Environmental Quality International (www.eqi.com.eg) is a private consulting firm that has done an enormous amount in the isolated desert oasis of Siwa, including the development of an ecolodge.

There are a number of locations in the Red Sea where it's possible to swim with wild dolphins. For information about the ethics of swimming with dolphins and other outdoor activities, visit the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (www.wdcs.org) and Tread Lightly (www.treadlightly.org).

Apart from staying in low-consumption facilities, you can also look at carbon offsetting as a way of reducing the overall impact of your vacation. Each time you take a flight or drive a car, CO2 is released into the atmosphere. You can help neutralize this danger to our planet through carbon offsetting (paying someone to reduce your CO2 emissions by the same amount you've added). Carbon offsets can be purchased in the U.S. from companies such as Carbonfund.org (www.carbonfund.org) and TerraPass (www.terrapass.org), and from Climate Care (www.climatecare.org) in the U.K.

Although one could argue that any vacation that includes an airplane flight can't be truly "green," you can go on holiday and still contribute positively to the environment. You can offset carbon emissions from your flight in other ways. Choose forward-looking companies that embrace responsible development practices, helping preserve destinations for the future by working alongside local people. An increasing number of sustainable tourism initiatives can help you plan a family trip and leave as small a "footprint" as possible on the places you visit.

Responsible Travel (www.responsibletravel.com) contains a great source of sustainable travel ideas run by a spokesperson for responsible tourism in the travel industry. Sustainable Travel International (www.sustainabletravelinternational.org) promotes responsible tourism practices and issues an annual Green Gear & Gift Guide.

You can find eco-friendly travel tips, statistics, and touring companies and associations -- listed by destination under "Travel Choice" -- at the International Ecotourism Society (TIES) website (www.ecotourism.org). Also check out Conservation International (www.conservation.org), which, with National Geographic Traveler, annually presents World Legacy Awards (www.wlaward.org) to those travel tour operators, businesses, organizations, and places that have made a significant contribution to sustainable tourism. Ecotravel.com (www.ecotravel.com) is part online magazine and part ecodirectory, letting you search for touring companies in several categories (water-based, land-based, spiritually oriented, and so on).

In the U.K., Tourism Concern (www.tourismconcern.org.uk) works to reduce social and environmental problems connected to tourism and find ways of improving tourism so that local benefits are increased.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) (www.abtamembers.org/responsibletourism) acts as a focal point for the U.K. travel industry and is one of the leading groups spearheading responsible tourism.

The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) (www.aito.co.uk) is a group of interesting specialist operators leading the field in making holidays sustainable.

Note : This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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Ecotourism in Egypt

Low key Bedouin-run camp in Sinai on the Red Sea

In contrast to eco tourism in other countries in the Middle East, such as Jordan , Lebanon , Syria , and Iran , there is an extremely active Ecotourism Committee in the Egyptian Tourism Federation, which makes eco tourism in Egypt especially diverse, authentic, and unique. You can find high-end, and low end –- all satisfying experiences based on your budget. We offer some examples below.

Since 1997 Egypt’s Ecotourism Committee, which is the most active of all of the Egyptian Tourism Federation’s committees, holds over 14 meetings a year that include top environmentalists, cabinet ministers, scientists, and ecotourism professionals.

They do important work, including protecting natural areas and cracking down on illegal hunting. The Committee also produces a weekly half-hour program in cooperation with Egyptian satellite television called Misr Ard Al Jamal (Egypt the Land of Beauty) which features Egypt’s protected areas, ecotourism activities, eco-lodges, and indigenous tribes of Egypt’s three deserts.

The passage of a law in 1983 has also led to the declaration of 27 Protected Areas in Egypt that represent most of the habitats and ecosystems in Egypt. But the Committee isn’t willing to stop there – they want to increase the number of Protectorates to 40 by the year 2017.

Map of National Parks, or eco reserves in Egypt

So what’s an eco-loving, sustainability-touting tourist to do in Egypt? Here are some great options:

Adrere Amellal Ecolodge

This high-end, off-grid Adrere Amellal Ecolodge in the Siwa Oasis includes 40 rooms constructed out of mud, salt, and palm leaves with traditional Siwan methods , and is located 12 miles away from Siwa, an Egyptian oasis. Today this most isolated settlement is home to a small population of Berbers and one of the world’s most interesting hotels.

There are ancient olive and palm groves nearby, and the traditional cuisine offered at the lodge is prepared with organic herbs and vegetables picked the same day. The entire lodge is telephone (hide your cell phone!) and electricity free, with candles and torches used for lighting.

Low-key sustainability comes with a hefty price-tag unfortunately, starting at about $500 USD a night for a single room. Budget-minded folks are better off heading to Sinai’s beaches of Bir Sweir or Nuweiba, to get an authentic, spiritual desert experience.

Shali Fortress, Tombs of Jabal el Mawta, the Oracle of Amun, the Temple of Um Ubeydah, Cleopatra’s water spring, Fantasy Island, Jabal Dakrour sandbaths, and Bir Wahed – a natural jacuzzi in the desert – are some nearby eco-highlights.

Al Karm Ecolodge

The Al Karm Ecolodge is a Bedouin owned and operated lodge in the St. Katherine Protectorate.

Like Adrere Amellal, it has no electricity but uses solar panels to heat water for the showers, and has sanitary compost toilets. The small hotel has only seven double rooms. We have tried to contact the lodge to see if they have recovered from Covid but we have no updates and find no dates available for rooms online. If you are an eco-tourism researcher, this paper outlines the sustainability efforts put into place while building the Al Karm Ecolodge.

Ras Muhammad National Park

Ras Muhammad National Park: This natural protectorate in southern Sinai is protected by law and has a variety of beautiful natural features for the eco tourist’s viewing pleasure. In addition to its stunning coral reefs which attracts snorkelers and divers, the park has an eel garden and is a great spot to watch migratory birds.

Sinai Bir Sweir Beach Nuweiba/Taba

Bir Sweir is about as eco and friendly and as spiritual as you can imagine. My first trip there made me feel that I’d come to the coolest place in the Universe. There is nothing to do and nothing happens. If you like that vibe, find some of the Bedouin camps that may or may not be operating at the time of your visit. Just showing us is also okay but not recommended during the Jewish holidays when the area is flooded with Israelis.

Select camps in Nuweiba

• Al Tarek Camp
• Alexandria Beach
• Asala Beach
• Barracuda Camp
• Bella Donna Camp
• Diana Beach
• Half Moon Beach
• Miami Beach
• Paradise Sweir
• Shanti Camp
• Trankila Beach

Author: Karen Chernick

Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

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Tour Egypt aims to offer the ultimate Egyptian adventure and intimate knowledge about the country. We offer this unique experience in two ways, the first one is by organizing a tour and coming to Egypt for a visit, whether alone or in a group, and living it firsthand. The second way to experience Egypt is from the comfort of your own home: online.

Ecotourism in Egypt

A growing trend.

Nowadays, nearly every action we take has a negative effect on our environment. From taking a flight for vacation, driving to work, even heating up your lunch in the microwave it all produces a carbon emission, though certainly some are higher than others. While there are steps to be taken in your everyday life to limit carbon emissions since it would be impossible to cut out completely, most people dont want to have their vacations affect their destinations negatively. This is where ecotourism comes into play. Responsible travel , as ecotourism is also known, is all about visiting new places with as little negative effect, and maybe even adding some positive effect, as possible.

In Egypt, theres a big market developing for this kind of travel. There are different ecosystems in Egypt that benefit from tourism, but could potentially be inadvertently harmed by tourists who come to see those special places. Thats why locals and tour operators have taken more of an initiative in protecting some of the fragile environments so interesting to tourists. Eco-lodges , for example, have begun popping up along the Red Sea coast and in the desert oases.

Perhaps the most famous eco-lodge is Basata, located on the Red Sea coast between Taba and Nuweiba . This eco-lodge was built with natural materials and all waste is used at the camp as either fertilizer or building material. But Basatas not the only eco-lodge around. There are quite a few along the Red Sea, with Marsa Alam also being a choice destination with eco-lodges.

In the desert oases of Siwa and Bahariya , there are also eco-lodges that are quite beautiful and have high ratings and great reviews. The wonderful thing about these eco-lodges is that not only are they environmentally friendly, but they really benefit the local population. Local Bedouins are employed at these lodges, and some even sell items produced by the villages women as souvenirs.

Besides staying in eco-lodges, responsible travelers can also opt to go snorkeling or diving with an environmentally friendly dive club. In Sharm El Sheikh especially there are dive clubs that are environmentally friendly. These clubs take special care not to cause the reefs any harm while diving and give tips to divers on how to help with the preservation of the reefs and the natural wonders they are coming into contact with.

But Egypt is more than desert oases and beach resorts and snorkeling. Egypt is also history, and what better way to experience this history than by cruising the Nile . Of course, large cruises are plentiful, but not very environmentally friendly. If youd like to cruise the responsible way, you can absolutely take a felucca from Aswan to Kom Ombo before changing off to a bus to complete the rest of the trip. Feluccas are as environmentally friendly as sailing the Nile gets. Feluccas are sailboats found on the Nile River that operate without any motors, and are a really calm and relaxed alternative to large cruises, and even the small motor boats. Most feluccas are quite basic, though there are one or two more luxurious options that offer electronic adaptors powered by solar power.

If youre coming to Egypt as someone who is concerned with having a positive effect, or at least minimizing your negative effect on the environment, Egypt is a great place to visit. With the increasing options for eco-friendly accommodation, transportation, and activities, it just keeps getting better!

Last Updated: 10th of October, 2011