Red Sea liveaboard operator blue o two has donated one of its vessels to conservationists running reef cleanups for the whole of January.
Following a series of successful cleanups run from liveaboard trips in 2008, blue o two is donating its northern Red Sea vessel M/Y Blue Fin to the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association (HEPCA) during January.
The operator is also offering divers reduced prices on week-long trips. Guests joining the subsidised trips take part in cleanups of the Egyptian Red Sea's most littered shorelines between regular holiday dives, and can attend on-board seminars by marine biologist and dive guide Elke Bojanowski.
Together with HEPCA, blue o two is focusing on cleaning reefs that are accessible by daily snorkelling and diving vessels. It says these areas are prone to more rubbish being thrown overboard by visitors. Blue o two has won the Responsible Tourism Award for Best In a Marine Environment for the past two years, and the Hayah reef project is the latest environmental scheme to be supported by the operator.
'When the idea was born, we were not sure if people would be interested in giving up some of their precious holiday time to clean reefs and learn about global ocean devastation,' said Natalie Tyler of blue o two. 'How refreshingly wrong we were. We have now operated four successful trips. Then we devoted M/Y Blue Fin to the project for January. Critics might say that the only attraction in these safaris is the subsidised price, but in talking to our guests I don't believe this is entirely true.'
As part of the Hayah project, conservationists plan to collate statistical analysis of the rubbish collected, such as weight and type of waste found. 'We schedule in two to three cleanups a week,' said Tyler. 'Divers go down in groups with the aim of collecting as much removable rubbish as possible. Before each clean, our divers are briefed on the importance of not removing rubbish that has become a marine creature's home. The Hayah project is funded purely by blue o two. The end result is affordable ecotourism.' Amr Ali, HEPCA chairman, said: 'As the sense of responsibility grows bigger among divers and travellers, soon we will see the day when the main factor in choosing a diving or tour operator will be the social responsibility of that operator towards the community, nature and the globe.'
Source - Dive Magazine UK
Liveaboard donated to Red Sea Cleanup
Mummification: a spa art in Egypt
Might the new spa at the Hilton Luxor be going a little overboard? The Nayara holistic cocooning treatment (70 minutes; £114) is, a source advises, “inspired by the art of mummification, which was developed with the aim of immortalising the soul”. It turns out the treatment merely comprises exfoliation, a wrap, skin-nourishing, a facial and head massage. And we were so looking forward to brains extracted through the nose.
Source - Times Online
Egypt's real estate market catches global attention
Sam Zell, the property moghul who made billions in 2007 when he sold his Equity Office Properties (EOP) portfolio to Blackstone for $38 billion, recently shortlisted the top three property investment destinations - Brazil, China and (surprise!) Egypt.
After years of state-built housing, in the early 1990s, the Egyptian government allowed private housing projects. Soon, there was oversupply, developers went bankrupt, and from 1997 on there was a property crisis. Now the market is booming again.
House prices are rising strongly in Egypt. There are three key areas in Egypt - Cairo, Hurghada and Sharm Al Shaikh. Most appreciation has been in the new developments, such as New Cairo and in the new Red Sea projects.
Why Egypt?
For one, it is a tourism superstar. Traffic doubled between 2001 and 2006 and Egypt forecasts 13 million visitors in 2008, 19 per cent more than in 2007. Tourism and investment has been boosted by the free float of the Egyptian Pound in 2003, which suddenly made Egypt and Egyptian property much more affordable and popular. A benefit of tourism is that property investment for short-term rentals is a very viable proposition.
The incredibly low prices are another plus at an average of Dh220 per square foot. For prime residential property in a major city, comparable Middle East prices are Dh2,438 per square foot in the UAE, Dh760 in Lebanon, Dh536 in Morocco and Dh393 in Jordan. A new three-bedroom villa in New Cairo can cost Dh600,000. One-bedroom beachfront apartments in the resorts of Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh go for average Dh150,000 and Dh260,000 respectively.
In 2001, the mortgage law was passed and this has ignited the mortgage market as banks can now repossess properties and evict defaulting owners. This has been positive for the property market.
Source - Gulf News
Egypt puts a stop to tourist convoys
End of security convoys will result in more freedom to explore Egypt independently and see obscure sights. For the past 10 years, if you wanted to see the treasures along the Nile and you didn’t want to go by boat, you had to travel in an armed convoy. Not any more.
In the wake of the 1997 attack at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor, the Egyptian government obliged all foreigners travelling overland between the country’s main tourist centres to join armed convoys. This visible security was intended to dissuade attacks and reassure visitors, but it has long outlived its usefulness.
Ironically, in the absence of any attacks, the convoys have become the biggest danger: in high season, as many as 100 coaches and minivans have raced across the desert from the Red Sea resorts every day.
The effect of this rally on the antiquities, particularly in Luxor, has been disastrous. In spite of new parking facilities, neither the Valley of the Kings nor Karnak Temple is able to cope with the simultaneous arrival of thousands of visitors: when I visited the Valley of the Kings just ahead of the convoy a couple of weeks ago, there was only one guard on the gate to check tickets.
Things should be very different now. Even if you are only visiting Luxor, the end of the convoys should mean a (slightly) calmer visit to the main sights. Coaches will still arrive from the Red Sea, though, one hopes, not all at the same time.
Source - The Times Online
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