Orascom Development Holding AG (Orascom Development) (ODHN.CA) Saturday celebrated the successful reopening of Taba Heights Marina, after its temporary closing during the political events in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The ceremony was attended by top Egyptian government officials including Dr. Hisham Kandil (Prime Minister), Hisham Zaazou (Minister of Tourism), Khaled Foda (Governor of South Sinai), and Dr. Mohamed Rashad El-Meteiny (Minister of Transport), as well as Orascom Development representatives including Chairman Samih Sawiris and Hamza Selim, Chief Destination Management Officer. Taba Heights Marina is part of Taba Heights, Orascom Development's second self-sufficient resort town, located on the Sinai Peninsula. Spanning an area of 4.3 million sqm, Taba Heights features six operating hotels with 2,365 rooms. The marina was granted an International Tourist Marina license in 2005, and is the first legitimate port of entry in the region. Currently, sea trips across the Gulf allow guests an opportunity to visit Jordan (30 minutes travel time) and the ancient city of Petra, a UNESCO world heritage and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Jordan. Hesham Zaazou, Egypt's recently appointed Minister of Tourism, stated that 'Taba Heights Marina is essential in revitalizing tourism between Egypt and Jordan, accounting for a total of 350,000 tourist arrivals to Egypt annually. Reopening it actively demonstrates the effective collaboration between various ministries towards the collective goal of supporting the recovery of tourism.' He added that the marina's reopening is testimony of the region's safety and security, an essential prerequisite for the recovery of tourism. 'Taba Heights Marina is an economic lifeline for thousands of Egyptians living in Sinai, and its reopening contributes substantially to their livelihood and prosperity; a definitive government priority,' he commented further. The Minister highlighted that the marina will have a great added value for the planned joint Arab tourism marketing efforts and will benefit tourism flow from Asia and the USA in the long run. Samih Sawiris commented that 'Orascom Development is proud to be a partner supporting tourism in Egypt, especially in the region of the Sinai Peninsula which not only has immense symbolic national value but tremendous income generating potential.' He further added that 'the government's tremendous support to successfully reopen Taba Heights Marina demonstrates the collective commitment to support tourism in Egypt'.
