26 September 2023
The opening of three man-made diving sites off the beaches of Hurghada on Monday 25 September 2023, was a cause for celebration by the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt, in coordination with the Red Sea Reserves and the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA). The inauguration, according to a report from Egypt Independent, featured the participation of dozens of Egyptian and foreign divers.
This comes to further develop diving tourism, offering a unique experience that combines history with the marine world. Diving centers participated in organizing trips to these new areas, made up of 15 industrial vehicles and equipment, in order to protect coral reefs from high diving traffic.
The Director of the Northern Islands Reserve, Ahmed Ghallab said that these new diving sites aim to preserve coral reefs in the Red Sea, by sinking old war parts and equipment with history behind them.
The project thereby provides an environment for the development of coral reefs, improving the biological diversity of the Red Sea and thereby boosting the natural stock of fish. This step aims to preserve Egypt’s coral reefs, which are amongst the most important coral shelters in the world.
The Governor of the Red Sea, Amr Hanafy said that establishing these diving sites in specific locations took seven years of careful planning and preparation, in order to prevent harming the environmental system in the long term.
The Ministry of Environment expects to cover the cost of establishing the new sites, and that the first year of the project will generate tourism revenues in foreign currency worth five to ten times the investment value.
In another development, the Egyptian Hotel Association has issued recommendations to all hotels to confront sexual harassment after receiving complaints from hotel workers.
The EHA warned that sexual harassment is a criminal offense, with a punishment of up to four years in prison. The association told its members to be precise in selecting its workers and not recruit a new employee until they have passed the necessary training courses.
The EHA also recommended educating all employees on the seriousness of sexual harassment and how it can negatively impact Egypt’s tourism reputation, alongside the administrative penalties that include cancellation of the license and compensation for the victims. It stressed the necessity of monitoring the behavior of employees and dismissing them if proven of misconduct after being warned.