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In the late 1980s Samih Sawiris, son of the chairman of the Orascom Group, wanted somewhere quieter than Hurghada (a childhood haunt) to moor a few boats and relax among family and friends. However, together with his brothers, Naguib and Nassef, he has ended up creating an entire environmentally-friendly town over a period of ten years. Situated 21km north of Hurghada, El Gouna (or Lagoon) has grown to become one of Egypt’s premier tourist resorts.
The town’s infrastructure is independent: Orascom built electricity plants, a sewage treatment plant, roads, lagoons, and has installed satellite phones, a transportation network, two marinas, a Nubian-style village, an airport, a hospital and an international school. Most important of all, in a desert land, says Samih, “we have a water treatment plant that enables us to reuse every drop of water in an efficient way.” While the lack of community involvement and the scale of Egypt’s Red Sea developments mean they can’t be classed as eco-tourism, respect for some of its key principles can help preserve marine life and local culture. Responsible tourism practices are gradually being applied at large resorts, offering hope for a region once blighted by thoughtless development. Contributor: Jaqueline Burrell |
