SINAI - A global e-poll, conducted by the world renowned travel agency Lonely Planet, has indicated that Egypt's Sinai will be next year's top sports-based tourist destination in the world, an official said recently. Ziyad el-Bassel, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Diving and Maritime Sports Chamber, said that millions of tourists, travellers and divers, who have participated in the poll, picked up Sinai as their first choice for sports-based destination in 2011 despite a series of shark attacks that occurred early this month. El-Bassel added that the polled tourists put Egypt's Sinai on top of the world's ten best tourist hot spots. With various facilities and different services being offered, from light amusement to extreme sports adventure, Sinai has the potential to top other leading regions and places in sports-based tourism, el-Bassel said. The results of this 'neutral and objective' poll shows that the Sinai has a lot of potentials when it comes to the new trends of tourism, he said, adding that the tourists and divers have put the Sinai on top of the most favoured 10 best sports-based tourist destinations in the world. "This is especially so because Sinai is strategically positioned in an area that is conducive for maritime activities that attract sports-oriented tourists," he said.
