SHARM EL-SHEIKH - Sharm el-Sheikh is a unique city. Everyone who lives in Sharm falls in love with its natural beauty, from the colourful Red Sea corals and fish to the magnificent mountains and spectacular, secretive desert. I would like to inform readers about the current situation and what plans there are for the future of the area, affecting tourism in South Sinai and consequently Sharm. Before I met with Major-General Mohamed Abul Fadl Shousha, the Governor of South Sinai, many friends suggested I ask him about ex-President Hosni Mubarak: whether he is in Sharm and his security arrangements. However, I found it more important to focus on the 'New Egypt', as well as solutions to the current tourism problems, which predate January 25. Meeting with the Governor allowed me to get to know a little more about him and gave me an insight into his future plans for the area. Whether Shousha stays on board in the new Government or not, he has had a terrific impact in the Governorate. I do hope he will continue to serve as Governor or in any other capacity, as he loves South Sinai. He has a special attachment to Sinai. Having received his commission in 1972, he took part in the October 1973 War. “That was one of my most important accomplishments,” he said. “I was a First Lieutenant with the guerrilla troops in Feeran Valley. I'm very proud of this landmark in Egypt's history,” he added in an interview with The Egyptian Gazette. Shousha proved to be very successful and was soon promoted to command all the guerrilla units. Later, he was made Commander of the Border Guards, then Governor of North Sinai. A few years later, in 2009, he was transferred to South Sinai. As he talked about his work, I got the impression that this was his home and its people his family. He is focused on strategic planning for the areas under his command, concentrating on education and health services. Finding solutions “We hired McKinsey [and Company, the international consulting firm] to study the current situation and to recommend ways to solve the problems caused by several factors,” he said. These political and economic factors have caused the number and quality of tourists to decline. “Their principal advice was not to build any new guest rooms,” he explained, “because, the more the guest rooms, the lower the price per room. So we have suspended any resort building projects that were under consideration.” “They also advised us to improve tourism here. We are working on several projects to make tourists more interested in the area,” he said. “Before January 25, I went to Dubai to observe what kinds of entertainment tourism they offer, and what we might be able to adopt in our resort cities.” New tourist attractions “Our goal is to create new tourist attractions,” he continued enthusiastically. “We have recruited a few environmentally aware investors, interested in desert tourism. They have worked with American experts on this. The mountains are the treasures of Sinai. They are the world's most wonderful mountains.” His plan is to get tourists to enjoy the beauty as well as discover the secrets of the desert. “For example, safari trips at present are still limited to rides on quad buggies for a few hours in the desert. We want to develop safari expeditions, so tourists can spend several days in the desert absorbing and unearthing its treasures, and enjoying the pristine environment. “But, in South Sinai, there is one disadvantage – we can only use 40 per cent of the land, as the other 60 per cent are national conservation parks that we cannot touch. But this is an advantage too, because these parks are themselves a tourist attraction.” To celebrate Sinai's Independence Day last year, Shousha decided to do something different. He invited Egyptian adventurer Hisham Nessim, who boasts two entries in The Guinness Book of World Records, to visit South Sinai. As well as holding the record for the fastest vehicle crossing of the Great Sand Sea, Nessim holds the record for the fastest crossing of the Western Desert, using one vehicle, driving from Siwa to Abu Simbel. Shousha wanted to make a statement. Every year, prior to Sinai Independence Day on April 25, Israel warns its citizens not to travel to Sinai for reasons of safety. To prove that Sinai is safe and secure, Shousha and Nessim, without any security guards, climbed Sinai's highest peak, Mount Al-Ajmah (1,800 metres). “It took us 12 hours. We planted a big flag on the summit. This proves that the rumours about Sinai being unsafe are nonsense; it proves that Sinai is indeed safe for tourism and such activities and sports.” The Bedouin greeted them on their ascent and were surprised to see the Governor, a very down-to-earth person, showing such enthusiasm for Sinai's welfare. Even during the recent revolution, nothing happened in Sharm and South Sinai to jeopardise the safety of tourists or residents.
Plans for Sharm Focusing on Sharm in particular, I asked Shousha what we could do to strengthen and stabilise the economy. “Remember, I am Governor of South Sinai, not only Sharm. I work for what is best for every area,” he answered. “But in Sharm we are concentrating on four things. “First, we want tourists to spend more and, second, to stay longer. Third, we want more of them to come again. At present 20 per cent return here and we want to raise that to 40 or even 50 per cent. Fourth, and this point needs a separate plan, we need to encourage domestic tourism. One idea is to promote tourist apartment hotels which cater for Egyptian needs and culture.” Observing the 'all-inclusive' offers that hotels offer foreigners, I discussed with the Governor the negative effect this has on local businesses, including hotels, and the fact that some shop owners use kharteya. “Many store owners are desperate for business, so they hire kharteya [touts] who are aggressive to customers to try and make them buy their goods,” he said. “It's a big problem. Unfortunately, it is a circle of interdependency.” The driving force behind the all-inclusive packages are the tour operators. They dictate the prices that hotels should offer their clients. The low hotel prices and the all-inclusive policies lead to the undesirable behaviour of some shop owners. In his opinion, once this is resolved and the tour operators co-operate with local industry, the problem will disappear. “Since the onset of the revolution, we have lost LE1.8 billion in tourism revenue, but strategic plans for the area continue to materialise. Italian, British and Russian planes, as well as planes full of tourists from many other countries, have started to land at Sharm Airport, which has the capacity to receive 7 million tourists annually. We plan to increase this capacity to 17 million. “We are also sending out invitations worldwide, encouraging people to come and visit the new exciting attractions and discover Sharm and South Sinai.
The shark challenge Last December, Sharm was faced with another challenge. Five consecutive shark attacks happened off the resort beaches, in one case fatal. Sharm's economy suffered badly. “I know you have reopened the beaches recently, but where do we stand now after international researchers have studied the problem?” I asked. “The international researchers have given us the prescription and now we must wait for the cure,” he answered wisely. “After they left, we recruited the best Egyptian researchers and doctors from the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries. It is exhilarating to find people with this kind of talent and love for Egypt. Theirs was a labour of love. They felt they regained their dignity by serving their country. They found themselves.” “What did they do?” I asked. “They made a comprehensive mapping and scanning of the sea in the area. They surveyed the kinds of fish and their habitats. Their survey resulted in safety recommendations, suggesting where nets should be placed at hotel beaches and what kind of nets are needed, so as not to harm the coral reefs.” I felt very proud when he told me that Egypt possesses scientists with such expertise. Sometimes we have to resort to international expertise, but when we possess such talent, we must exploit it to the full. In a recent statement, the Governor declared that, at this time of year, Sharm's beaches are safe and all sea activities are to resume as usual. After the precautionary measures taken by the Governor's office, there is no need for concern. The safety of human and marine life is of great concern to Shousha.
Agricultural possibilities? Everyone living in Sharm, even visitors, complains about how expensive groceries are compared to other cities in Egypt. So I asked the Governor about the possibility of implementing a few agricultural projects, so that at least a few of these foodstuffs could be sold less expensively. “The soil in Sinai is not suitable for vegetation,” he explained. “Only limited kinds can grow. One major problem is that well-water contains high amounts of sodium, 1,000 parts in a million, while the cost of piping fresh water from the Nile would be prohibitive. “We are trying to get drinking water for residents, but agriculture will have to wait. It costs up to LE4.50 to purify a cubic metre of seawater. We are now looking at purifying seawater using solar energy, which would cause the price to drop to as little as LE1.50 per cubic metre.”
Sharm going green In 2005, Sharm el-Sheikh received an award for being the cleanest city in Egypt. Now we have a new problem, with piles of garbage being found where they do not belong, even in the pristine desert. Many residents are concerned about the area's ecosystem and how the garbage is affecting the environment and killing Sinai's priceless coral. There are signs around the city that indicate that Sharm is going green, but we have yet to see this in practice. “We have a recycling plant ready for operation, as well as a plan to turn Sharm into a 'green' city. The only thing holding us back is that the engineer, who is supposed to operate it, is busy with another project in Alexandria. As soon as he's finished, the recycling plant will start working.”
