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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 August 2000 Issue No. 493 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 3 - 9 August 2000 Issue No. 493
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons It takes a village
By Rehab SaadHaphazard development is no longer allowed in tourist areas. The Hurghada phenomenon of random hit-or-miss construction will never be repeated. Everything now follows strict rules starting from purchasing the land, up to the opening day.
Tourist centres now constitute the hottest concept in seaside development. A tourist centre is a piece of land that includes a number of hotels of different scales as well as restaurants, entertainment facilities, schools, universities, workers' houses, hospitals, golf courses, marina, markets and a city centre. These facilities are not planted randomly but according to a general plan, which allocates a place for every single detail in the project.
This new concept allows the formation of new tourist complexes that are well designed, well developed and well marketed. In every tourist centre, there is a mother company that serves certain functions such as building the infrastructure of the centre, marketing it abroad, preserving the environment and training the workers.
Minister of Tourism Mamdouh El-Beltagui declared recently that Egypt has 51 tourist centres scattered in various sites in the country and that these centres aim at "creating small cities in a way that adhere to international criteria."
Along the Red Sea there are various tourist centres that are helping to create these new cities. Some of them are rather small, but others are gargantuan. Sahl Hashish, Ras Abu Soma and Makadi Bay are three examples of this development trend. They are all situated south of Hurghada city.
Sahl Hashish is most likely the biggest project on the Red Sea. It is located 20 kilometres south of Hurghada on the Safaga-Hurghada road occupying an area of 32 million square metres. The project is being developed by the Egyptian Resorts Company (ERC), a shareholding company that includes The National Bank of Egypt, four insurance companies, Pyramisa, Ghabbour, Al-Rowad and others.
"This will be one of the gigantic resorts built on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba through which Egyptian tourism will enter a new phase, where all facilities and services will be targeted and the tourist product will be varied," said El-Beltagui, who also revealed that the new project will be double the size of Hurghada.
According to investors, the area will be developed in three phases: the first and second are 6 million square metres each, the third phase is 20 million square metres. The first phase is expected to be completed in two years and the rest of the project will be finished over the following 10 to 12 years.
When I visited the site a few weeks ago, only the infrastructure -- roads and sewage system -- was finished and the rest of the work was under way. According to Ibrahim Kamel, board chairman of the company, the project will boast special characteristics. "We wanted our new city to have its own character and history. We imagined that it is a city where several civilisations passed through. We have the Pharaonic and the Graeco-Roman style and we have the modern and Oriental styles as well," he said.
Le Meridien Makadi Bay is the most recent resort opened in Makadi Bay, one of the promising tourist centres south of Hurghada photo: Ayman Ibrahim
Mohamed El-Wakil of the ERC added that the first phase will include 14 hotels, two golf courses, a marina and an old town that is built Oriental style, a sunken city and a desert village modeled as per the Bedouin style.
Although the project is not yet completed, many tourist investors are convinced it will be the project of the future that will create a lot of job opportunities for young people. It is expected to provide 20,400 direct and approximately 120 indirect job opportunities. Visitors can see bulldozers digging the ground and a lot of palm trees have already been planted.
I then headed towards Ras Abu Soma, 48 kilometres south of Hurghada. It extends on an area of 12.7 million square metres with a capacity of 6,000 rooms and a cost of LE1,594 million.
Like other Red Sea resorts, Ras Abu Soma consists of soft, sandy beaches, turquoise waters and exquisite coral reefs. The area is well known for its excellent diving sites, deep-sea fishing, windsurfing and sailing.
In order to develop this unique peninsula into world-class tourism complex, the Ministry of Tourism has assigned the Abu Soma Development Company to draw up and execute a development plan for the property. The plan divides the development of Abu Soma into several phases. Unlike Sahl Hashih, a big part of Abu Soma has already been developed. There are only two five-star hotels that are operational: Sheraton Soma Bay and Robinson Club. The Hyatt Regency Soma Bay is still under construction. There is also a golf and country club that provides an athletic and social focal point of the peninsula's community. Designed to meet international standards, the golf course is a full size 18-hole course. A number of tennis courts are also built, along with a swimming pool and landscaped terraces.
Upon visiting the city, one can observe the construction in progress. There is still a large number of projects under construction, the most important of which is the marina that will accommodate 50 vessels and is designed to minimise environmental pollution along the coastline. Moreover, a commercial and recreational centre will be established to feature a central plaza connected to the beach by a walkway. The commercial centre will offer open-air restaurants, a variety of retail outlets and souqs. Essential services, including a multi-bed clinic and a decompression chamber for divers will also be provided.
Makadi Bay, 35 kilometres to the south, was my last destination. This might be the most developed centre on the Red Sea. It is supposed to include 17 projects on an area of 6.4 million square metres with a capacity of 5,516 rooms at a cost of LE1,224 million.
Only seven hotels have already been built and are operational. They alone offer 2,500 rooms that will reach 4,000 by the end of the year 2000. Also by the end of the year there will be a complete workers' city capable of accommodating 1,500 workers, four tennis courts, an amphitheatre and six conference rooms.
This new concept of tourist centres does not only aim at creating new communities and new self sufficient cities where tourists and residents could meet all their needs but it also aims at lessening the financial burden shouldered by the government. This new concept has investors tend to every aspect of project development. The government simply gives the land to the investors without utilities. "The government has a great deal of responsibilities and it is high time the private sector contributed seriously to the development of these new tourist areas," said El-Beltagui.
