Red Sea Sustainable Tourism

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EGYPT: Red Sea Sustainable Tourism

Background

Over 1.2 million tourists visit the Red Sea coast annually, bringing in over

$1.2 billion in oreign exchange and generating more than 275,000 jobs. The

Red Sea has become one o Egypts premier tourism destinations, based in

large part on its unique and ragile marine environment. In recent years, how-

ever, tourism development has come increasingly into conict with protectionand conservation o Red Sea resources.

To assure that uture tourism development in the southern Red Sea preserves

the environmental resources that make the area so attractive to tourists, the

Egyptian government proposed development o a land use management plan

identiying zones or dierent types and levels o development and preserva-

tion. In addition, to counteract tourisms negative eects while still encourag-

ing economic growth, the government proposed a program to protect desig-

nated marine and coastal areas through the establishment o nature reserves,

and to build the capacity o national and local government agencies, as well as

private tourism enterprises, to cope with the many challenges presented by abooming tourism industry.

Objectives

USAIDs tourism activities on the Red Sea were conducted under the larger

Egypt Environmental Policy Program (EEPP), which held the main policy

objective o enhanced management and conservation o the Red Sea. Mul-

tiple government agencies have authority to manage Red Sea resources the

Egyptian Environmental Aairs Agency (EEAA), the Tourism Development

Authority (TDA), the Governorate o the Red Sea, and the Ministry o

Education (MOE) and all have somewhat diering agendas and responsi-bilities. To work eectively toward Red Sea resource protection, USAID frst

developed strategies to unite the various entities behind the common goal o

contributing to the sustained health and vitality o environmental, economic

and social development in Egypt.

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Approach

USAID employed the expert services o several contractors to implement ac-

tivities in the pursuit o EEPP objectives in the region, each with a specialized

role, but all with a unifed ocus. Partners provided technical assistance to:

Design and implement protective policies and zoning or environmen-

tally sensitive areas

Develop and disseminate environmentally sound practices or the

tourism sector rom design and construction to operational phases.

Develop strategic communications and education campaigns to increase

understanding, acceptance, and adoption o environmental policy

measures by relevant constituencies

Achievements

Protective Policies and Zoning

Ecologically sensitive zoning plans developed or and adopted in TDA

lands south o Marsa Alam.

Environmentally Sound Practices

Increased appreciation and understanding o sustainable tourism, includ-

ing a development plan and standards or the Southern Red Sea Region.

Introduction o environmental management systems or hotels and

resorts, including Green Globe 21 certifcation o seven properties.

Development o standardized Environmental Impact Assessment

screening orms or coastal development, including a tracking system or

EIA approvals and monitoring.

Promotion o best practices or water, sanitation, energy, solid waste and

landscaping.

PA ConsultingSustainable Tourism

Land Use Management

Ecotourism

Environmental

Management Systems

Green Hotel campaigns

AED/GreenCOMSocial marketing

Educational and public

awareness campaigns

Uniy overall program

eorts, catalyzing

partnerships and

synergizing existing

programs

IRG/Winrock InternationalRed Sea Nature Parks

management

Scientifc/technical studies

o Red Sea ecosystems

Red Sea Rangers workorce

GIS mapping

Mooring buoys installed to

protect coral rees

Contractor Roles in Promoting Sustainable Tourism in the Red Sea Region


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Proactive sustainable tourism awareness-building should include a range o

stakeholder consultation vehicles such as orums, workshops, training courses,

study tours, and multimedia campaigns targeting the public in order to

achieve lasting results. Using this approach, all o the key Red Sea stakehold-

ers learned to appreciate each others sometimes diering objectives, and they

ound ways to share in their common goal o creating a world class tourism

destination that contributes to, rather than detracting rom, the areas remark-

able natural and cultural assets.

For Further Information:

http://egypt.usaid.gov

http://www.nric.net/tourism.htm

[email protected]

REENCOME

GYPT/AED

Documents

Red Sea Sustainable Tourism