In the crystal clear waters of Ras Hankorab, on the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, the green turtles, a threatened species, still swim among bathers. However, above this natural sanctuary hovers the shadow of the development of mass tourism.
Imago
About 850 kilometers south-east of Cairo, this range of beach integrated into Wadi al-Gemal National Park constitutes a biodiversity setting “sheltering magnificent and diversified ecosystems (…) of which some threatened with extinction”, underlines Mahmoud Hanafy, Marine Biology Professor and Councilor of the Governorate.
It is “one of the last natural beaches still intact on the southern coast of the Red Sea”, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
In March, the appearance of shovelters on the sand caused a lifting of shields: reserve employees and environmentalists launched a petition to “save Hankorab”, signed by thousands of Internet users.
Two activists, under the cover of anonymity, revealed to AFP that they had access to a usufruct contract concluded between a private company and a government entity not under the ministry, relating to the construction of a tourist complex at this location.
Under pressure from the Ministry of the Environment, site manager, the work was suspended. But the concerns persist: appeals from a parliamentarian have remained a dead letter, and employees claim that the projects have not been officially abandoned.
Investment
Meanwhile, marine life continues: in the azure waters, the turtles cross ranges eagles and dugongs, evolving in a brilliant coral mosaic.
The ecosystem is “among the most resistant to climate change in the world,” said Hanafy, citing studies on heat tolerance for reefs in the Red Sea.
During the nesting season, turtles still lay on a beach spared by artificial light. “Only certain types of tourism development can be suitable for a beach like this,” warns Mr. Hanafy, evoking the dangers of overcrowding, noise and night lighting.
Egypt, stuck in an economic crisis, put on its 3,000 kilometers of coastline, in the Red Sea and Mediterranean to attract currencies. In 2024, an agreement of $ 35 billion with the United Arab Emirates to develop Ras al-Hekma, on the Mediterranean, offered a financial respite.
Since then, other similar projects, involving allies of the Gulf, have been studying. In July, President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi allocated 174,400 square kilometers of land bordering the Red Sea to the Ministry of Finance to “reduce public debt”.
In this region, tourism is the main economic engine. The authorities want to double the number of visitors by 2028, targeting the 30 million annual tourists.
But already in 2019, the UNDP warned that “the development of tourism in Egypt, so far, has largely been at the detriment of the environment”.
Over the years, the proliferation of energy -consuming hotel complexes has altered coastal ecosystems and dislodged local communities. “The objective seems to be to maximize the profits from reservations, which worries me because (…) we would be destroying them,” deplores the environmental lawyer Ahmed al-Seidi. An approach which, according to him, violates the law of 2003 classifying Wadi al-Gemal in the protected area.
“Null and void”
For Ras Hankorab, the dispute is legal according to Mr. Hanafy: “The company has signed a contract with a government entity other than that responsible for the management of the reserve”. The contract is therefore “zero and not avenue”, according to me seidi.
MP Maha Abdel Nasser challenged the Prime Minister’s Ministry of the Environment and Office. Unanswered to this day. During a meeting with elected officials and environmentalists, she said she could clearly identify the project initiative of the project. But if the interruption of the works is, according to the elected official, a relief, “nothing guarantees what could happen in the future”.
On site, a brand new portal bearing the inscription “Ras Hankorab” sits at the entrance to the beach. And while several tourist beaches in the Red Sea are chargeable, the entrance price to access that of Ras Hankorab has quintuplely, reaching 300 Egyptian pounds (around 5 euros), without knowing who sells the tickets.
An employee hired in March to work on the beach explains that the “some parasols and unusable sanitary facilities” before have given way to more modern facilities, lounge chairs and parasols in straw. And a café-restaurant should open soon, according to him.