IN THE early 1990s, Dahab was a hippy hangout, Taba was little more than a border crossing to Israel and Sharm ElSheikh was an Egyptian port town.
Nearly 10 years on, the entire area of the Sinai peninsula has undergone a complete overhaul to become one of the Middle East’s most developed holiday regions.
Take Na’ama Bay, Sharm ElSheikh, for example. A visitor to the region a decade ago would have only been able to choose from one or two hotels to stay in. Now the beach resort boasts 30,000 rooms and more hotels are currently under construction.
Further up the coast, south of the border with Israel, a township called Taba Heights is being built which will have 26 hotels when completed by the end of the year.
The new resorts are not just targetting any old holidaymaker. Aquick skim down the list of hotel companies which have just opened or are due to open shortly, including Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton and Hyatt, show that operators are aiming at the mid-upmarket client. Many come here to dive, others to windsurf or sail.
The huge growth prompted Red Sea specialist Longwood Holidays to launch a stand-alone Egypt and Jordan product for the first time last year, a move which has proved successful for raising the company’s profile among agents. Longwood’s 2000/2001 Egypt and Jordan brochure comes out in April.
Longwood managing director Rafi Caplin said:”The new brochure has given agents a central reference point for all of our Egypt product.”
He added:”There is an explosion of accommodation in the region – there are three direct flights a week from the UK to Sharm El Sheikh but this may increase.”