At the southern-most tip of Israel, Eilat is famed for its diving. It is also well known for Dolphin Reef, where you can swim with the dolphins. It lists jeep safaris, water sports and camel rides among activities.
Getting there: the resort is well served with El Al scheduled flights and direct charters from the UK during winter. More than 30 hotels, many in the five-star deluxe category.
Sharm El Sheikh is purpose built and it is the most popular of Egypt’s resorts. Diving is the central attraction, but good weather and the beaches are a draw for those who do not want to scuba, and there is nightlife outside the hotels.
Getting there: direct charters from the UK go to Sharm El Sheikh.
Hurghada is on the western edge of the Red Sea and is often linked as a two-centre with Luxor, about 4hrs drive away. The resort centres on the beaches and hotels as there is no town.
Getting there: direct charter flights from the UK.
Nuweiba is about 115 miles north of Sharm El Sheikh and is a small and quiet resort. The diving is good, but mainly shore based. Regal Holidays offers camel diving – the animals are used to transport divers to spots outside the resort. Operators brochure the Hilton and Tropicana hotels.
Getting there: clients use charter flights from the UK into Sharm El Sheikh, with a 2hr transfer to Nuweiba.
Dahab is about 20 miles south of Nuweiba and another more remote resort in the Sinai. Good diving for experienced customers, but again mainly shore-based diving. There is a new five-star Hilton resort, while the Tropicana group is building a property here.
Getting there: clients take a charter flight from the UK into Sharm El Sheikh, from where it is a 2hr transfer.
The new Taba Heights resort, due to open mid-2000, will put Taba – on the Egyptian side of the Israel/Egypt border – on the map for general holidaymakers and divers. There is already a Hilton here and a system of passes operates to enable divers to cross from Eilat. Getting there: packages use charter flights or El Al scheduled flights to Eilat in Israel, followed by a 1hr transfer to Taba over the border in Egypt.
At the top of the Red Sea, its main attraction is its coral and marine life, with its relatively undiscovered, and therefore unspoilt, reefs. Hotels include the Radisson SAS.
Getting there: access is either via charter flights or El Al scheduled flights to Eilat in Israel, followed by a short hop over the border, or via scheduled services on Royal Jordanian to Amman in Jordan, followed by a flight with domestic airline Royal Wings to Aqaba.
THE Red Sea region is starting to see its popularity grow as a winter-sun destination for the UK market. However, it is unlikely to rival the Canaries, mainland Spain or the Balearic Islands in terms of numbers.
Total Uk visitors to the region, including Egypt, Israel and Jordan, in 1998 reached 100,000, compared to 1.5m going to Tenerife alone and almost 3.3m to the Canaries. But numbers are growing. Goldenjoy is taking 480 passengers a week and marketing director Amal Tantawy said every other call is for the Red Sea.
Hayes and Jarvis product director Declan Morton said: “We have seen tremendous growth to the resort of Sharm El Sheikh over the past five years and we expect it to continue.
“I think the more remote resorts will become increasingly popular, first with divers and then with general holidaymakers.”
Egyptian State Tourist Office director Samia Khafaga agreed. “We are getting so many requests for information about Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada from the public and travel agents. People are more aware of the diving and numbers will continue to grow,” she said.
Fifteen years ago Eilat, in Israel, was the only resort on the Red Sea really geared up for holidaymakers, but now Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt is a worthy rival, with Hurghada close behind. In Eilat, Hilton is opening the Queen of Sheba Hotel next month and other properties are due to follow next year. While in Sharm El Sheikh the group is adding the 260-room Waterfalls and 360-room Dreams hotels in spring next year. Crowne Plaza has a 329-room property opening in Sharm El Sheikh at the end of this year.
Egypt also has the resorts of Nuweiba, Dahab and Taba, between Eilat and Sharm, which are all expanding, and is opening up a host of smaller resorts south from Hurghada. These include Safaga, El Quseir – about 1hr 30mins drive south from Hurghada – and Marsa Alam, where a new airport opens in 2001.
Meanwhile the Jordan Tourist Board is waiting for a new hotel to open in Aqaba next year and then plans to start marketing the resort. JTB managing director Marwan Khoury said: “With the new Movenpick, it will be the right time to promote Aqaba.”
There are several reasons why the Red Sea is becoming so popular. It is just 5hrs flying time from the UK and enjoys good weather in winter, with day temperatures in January and February hovering around 25C.
There is a big choice of international hotels with standards to match and plenty of activities for those who want to do more than just lie in the sun. Among them is scuba diving, which is offered at all the resorts and considered to be among the best in the world.
Regal Holidays managing director Andy Telford said: “We always recommend Sharm El Sheikh or Hurghada to clients who want to learn to dive, as we have dive schools there, and Eilat is also good for beginners.
“We would send experienced divers to any of the resorts, but some of the best diving is off Hurghada, although it is busy and that puts some people off. In that case they would be better at one of the more remote resorts.
“Jordan offers a more relaxed diving experience. No-one is in a hurry to get going. It suits the more mature market.”
Most of the resorts offer other water sports and many have excursions into the desert, as well as Bedouin evenings. From Sharm El Sheikh, for instance, Goldenjoy offers half-day trips to St Catherine’s Monastery, where Moses received the Ten Commandments, for £35, while a day trip to Luxor from Hurghada costs £50.