Hayah - The red sea community project

Hayah, meaning ‘Life’ in Arabic, is HEPCA’s most ambitious environmental project yet. The project was launched on Earth Day, April 22nd 2008; the largest annual environmental event that is celebrated simultaneously around the globe by more than half a billion people.

The aim of Hayah is to involve all sections of the Red Sea community working towards the following objectives:

1. Raising awareness

Raising environmental awareness of multiple stakeholders in our Red Sea community (e.g. diving and water sport operators, hotels, schools, tourists, tour operators / travel agents and local communities / organisations).

2. Education and responsibility

Educating all stakeholders in the importance of individual and collective responsibility for our environment and providing ideas, methods and support for each and every one of us to make a difference.

3. Active participation

Encouraging all stakeholders in environmental citizenship and assisting them in positive actions to help ensure the overall sustainability of our Red Sea environment (on land and water).

Hayah was launched on Earth Day with a series of educational and clean-up events. The project is not a one-off, one-day event however. A full program of environmental actions, ongoing projects, awareness materials and resources will be rolled out over the coming months. More information on this exciting community project will be released soon including a complete micro site dedicated to Hayah.

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New air service to Hurghada to launch

A weekly service between Glasgow and the popular resort of Hurghada in Egypt is being launched by FlyGlobespan.

The service, which starts on November 5, is in addition to the airline’s weekly service to Egypt which flies from Edinburgh to Sharm El Sheikh.

Flyglobespan has recently appointed 128 staff, all of whom will be based in Scotland, taking the total employee numbers to over 1300.

The majority of the staff will be employed as cabin crew at the airline’s Glasgow base

To read more click here

Emaar set to create Dubai along Red Sea!

Emaar Properties, after having mobilised Dubai’s property market, is now involved in creating another Dubai along the Red Sea .

Located in Rabigh near Jeddah, King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) is the single largest private sector project in the region with a total land plot area of 168 million square metres, which generates a built-up area of 144.75million sqm. It has the potential to create one million jobs and be home to 1.5 to two million residents.

KAEC is one of the six economic cities being set up in Saudi Arabia to promote balanced regional development, achieve economic diversification, create jobs and upgrade competitiveness.!


To read more click here

Statue of Pharaonic queen discovered in south Egypt

Egyptian and European archeologists on Saturday announced they had discovered a giant statue of an ancient pharaonic queen on the spectacular south Egypt site of the Colossi of Memnon.

The statue represents Queen Tiy, the wife of 18th dynasty Pharaoh Amenhotep III, and stands 3.62 metres high (almost 12 feet).

It was discovered around the site of the massive Colossi of Memnon twin statues that command the road to Luxor's famed Valley of the Kings.

Two sphinx representing Tiy and Amenhotep III as well as 10 statues in black granite of the lion-headed goddess Sekhmet, who protected the pharaohs, we also found by the archeologists and presented to reporters and senior officials.

Culture Minister Faruq Hosni hailed the discovery as a "formidable" entreprise and told reporters he expected the statues to be erected for public view next year.

They will be joined by two 15-metre-high (50 feet) statues, excavated in recent years, which will be placed 100 metres behind the Colossi of Memnon as part of an "open air museum."

Source

2008 Hurghada Squash Tournament

Hurghada Squash Tournament for Men and Women will take place from 12th until 20th of April 2008.

Supported by the Government and Governor of Hurghada, sponsored by WISPA (Women International Squash Players Association), the Tournament has gained international reputation over the years.

For this edition, various events are planned.

On April 18th, no match is planned but people will enjoy a big live concert in Sakkala square with famous artists such as Heba selim, Saad el Shghayar, or Haytham Shaker.

In paralllel of the event, a photographic shots' competition will be organised. First prize will be 5000 EGP, second 3000 EGP and third 2000 EGP.

Source

Great news for the Red Sea

Great news for all those at Red Sea Diving College came through in March. They have received the honour - for the second year running - Dive Centre of the Year as voted for by readers of the United Kingdom based DIVER Magazine.

A spokesperson from Red Sea Diving College told us that this was “Fantastic news. We are very thrilled and very proud to receive the DIVER award for a second year running”. “Certainly, we will not rest on our laurels - this award will encourage us to further develop our diving services and our projects in defence of the wonderful marine environment of the Red Sea throughout 2008”.

Staff at the College, based in the heart of Naama Bay, Sharm el Sheikh, are planning lots of exciting new projects to be carried out during the next 12 months.

Source

El Gouna hosts huge kite surfing Jamboree

El Gouna, the Red Sea’s premier leisure destination, has announced it is set to host a kite surfing jamboree, 18-27th April this year.

Set to be one of the biggest events in the Red Sea area for kite-boarders and their fans, there are a variety of activities scheduled during the week-long event that even non-fans can enjoy getting involved in.

Activities to be staged include:

• The biggest annual jamboree for the kite community; discussing new trends, equipment, rules, organisation and safety in the sport
• Exhibitions showcasing and testing the latest equipment
• Professional and amateur kite-boarding competitions, designed so everyone has a chance of winning and where spectators help the professionals with the judging process
• Photographic and video competitions for those capturing the day and week’s events on film
• Free introductory sessions for those looking to get started in the sport
• A fashion show demonstrating the latest beach fashion trends
• Nightly beach club parties
• Additional day time activities such as boat trips to Tawila Island, wakeboarding, waterskiing, parasailing, beach volleyball, football tournaments and sand buggy competitions

The event itself is being staged by the Red Sea Zone Watersports Academy in El Gouna which is the resort’s only centre that is accredited by the International Kiteboarding Organisation (IKO)..
Source

Golf in Egypt: Egyptian working women … in golf?

Some have written about the need for Egyptians to work in the golf industry. Until now, most Egyptians working in the industry have been men who started out at a young age as caddies in one of the old clubs — Gezirah Sporting, Mena House or Alexandria Sporting. These men have become golf teachers; very few make a good living at it.

But the top teaching pros in Egypt, the head greenskeepers (the professional person in charge of keeping the course in good condition), and nearly all of the club managers are from abroad. All are men. They often have university degrees, and have passed the rigorous requirements to join the professional golf associations in the countries where they come from. Most are excellent players, having played — or dreamed of playing —on the professional tours. They all have outstanding English-language skills, even if they are not native speakers.
[...]
One of the most intriguing stories of an Egyptian looking to golf as a lifelong occupation is about a young woman from Alexandria — Naela El Attar — who started playing golf at a very young age and is now seeking to make it a career. When we asked Naela to tell us the story of how she, at five years old, started to play golf, she nonchalantly answered, “Well, I used to play tennis.” At five? Yes, at five.

But a relative drew her into the game of golf and it has been her passion ever since. “Every summer it was the beach and golf,” Naela says of growing up in Alexandria.

KSA, Egypt among the leading destinations in tourism growth

UNWTO World Tourism Barometer figures indicate that the Middle East clocked up 46 million international tourist arrivals in 2007, and that the region continues to be one of the tourism success stories of the decade so far, reported Travel and Tourism News.

“The region is emerging as a strong destination with visitor numbers climbing much faster than the world total, with Saudi Arabia and Egypt among the leading destinations in growth in 2007,” says the UNWTO report. Worldwide there were 898 million international tourism arrivals in 2007, a six percent increase over 2006.

“Economic and tourism growth are driven by emerging markets and developing economies. While mature markets remain the leading destinations in the world, the faster growth rate of new markets confirms UNWTO’s main message of tourism’s potential for the developing world,” said UNWTO’s Secretary General Francesco Frangialli.

Of the additional 52 million worldwide arrivals, Europe received some 19 million and Asia and the Pacific 17 million. The Americas was up by around six million, Africa by three million and the Middle East by five million.

Tackling the Rubbish

We all know that the amount of rubbish in the Red Sea region is unsightly, unhealthy and unacceptable; but things are being done to help tackle the problem…

One such initiative is the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), now open in Marsa Alam. The Facility is part of HEPCA’s Solid Waste Management Strategy for the Red Sea, undertaken in cooperation with USAID, the EEAA, the National Parks of Egypt and the Association for the Protection of the Environment, and with private donations.

Separated waste items are collected at source and transported in our stunning new trucks to the Facility. Organic waste is passed on to the local community for animal feed. Non-organic waste is sorted, processed and traded through to recycling firms where possible, or otherwise placed into a managed dumpsite for non-recyclables.

Contracts with hotels, dive centres and other tourism establishments in the Marsa Alam region are currently being concluded. The Solid Waste Management Strategy not only focuses on the collection and recycling of waste, but also provides valuable employment opportunities to the local community. A second MRF is due to open in the Hurghada area later this year.

Egypt's very own private aquarium

The Red Sea is famously populated with abundant and exotic marine life from hammerhead sharks to the tiny polyps of more than 500 species of coral, attracting divers from all over the world.

Its latest hotel complex, Port Ghalib, has just opened for business and I'm here for a sneak preview before it gets busy. Once officially opened in April, the hotel's 948 rooms will begin to fill up with European and Russian guests here for the sun, sea and scuba.

The rapid development of Egypt's Red Sea coastline was driven by divers who, ironically, often now lament how much resorts such as Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh have changed for the worse. Sharm has lost its charm, they say, becoming an overcrowded Margate of the Middle East where environmentally unenlightened overseas divers ride terrified sea turtles for fun. Meanwhile, sprawling concrete and dwindling marine life have put the “urgh” into Hurghada.

Read more here

HEPCA would like to thank Emperor Fleet ...

EPCA would like to thank Emperor Fleet for its swift, serious and professional actions on receiving notice of their nomination as Violator of the Month. HEPCA is pleased to be working closely with Emperor to ensure that the alleged violations are not repeated and that all staff are reminded of the importance of awareness of environmental issues and regulations. Furthermore HEPCA and Emperor have discussed ways of improving communications.

The management of Emperor Fleet initiated a meeting with Amr Ali, Managing Director of HEPCA, on 19th February 2008. They stressed the commitment of Emperor to environmental protection and the need to deal severely with any staff who contravene local regulations. A consultative meeting took place the following day between HEPCA and the captains of the Emperor Fleet. HEPCA would like to thank the staff, captains and crew of the Emperor Fleet for their many beneficial suggestions offered during this meeting.

Finally, HEPCA is delighted to announce that all Emperor Fleet captains will join the HEPCA Volunteer Red Sea Ranger Initiative. Under this new scheme, dive centres or organisations nominate a person or persons responsible for noting and reporting any environmental violations, and liaising with HEPCA.

HEPCA look forward to continued working with Emperor and all diving operators to safeguard the Red Sea and ensure its sustainability for the future.

Sports Talk: After Africa, the world

We're still flying high with our African winning football team. Last Saturday the nation's parliament was the latest site for some more feting. But people have started to look ahead, specifically to the 2010 World Cup.

It is truly amazing how Egypt, which has won the Africa Cup of Nations a record six times, including the last two, has gone to the World Cup only twice - the last time being 18 years ago and the first participation before most of us were born, in 1934.

While we have found the door to the World Cup difficult to open, other Arab and African countries find it wide open. Cameroon has been there the most times — five. In its first appearance, in 1982, it tied the three games it played, the same as group mate Italy, but Italy went to the next stage on goal difference and eventually won the cup. Cameroon's best showing was in 1990 when it shocked defending champions Argentina in the opener before coming ever so close to beating England which would have put it in the semi-finals. In 2002 Senegal too almost made it to the last four.

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Defenders of the Red Sea 2007 – Red Sea Diving College

The management and staff at the Red Sea Diving College were thrilled to receive the honour Defenders of the Sea 2007 as awarded by HEPCA (the Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association).

Amr Ali, Managing Director of HEPCA recently explained, at a press conference in Sharm, that the award had been given in recognition of the important environmental work carried out throughout 2007 by staff at the College.

HEPCA is a leading NGO - Non Governmental Organisation – working in the field of marine and land conservation. Founded in 1992 by 12 members representing the diving community of the Red Sea, HEPCA is actively working towards the goal of protecting and preserving the natural resources of the Red Sea and Egypt.

Amr presented the award to Alain Sobol, CEO of the College at a ceremony at the dive centre in Naama Bay.

Red Sea Diving College projects in 2007 included:
• An attempt to rehabilitate an injured hawksbill turtle in conjunction with staff at the Ras Mohammed National Park.
• Building an artificial reef in Naama Bay and developing the “Adopt a Pot” scheme whereby all the proceeds go to the Ras Mohammed National Park fund for future projects. The artificial reef has started to take pressure of the nearby natural reef.
• An on-going Naama Bay jetty clean-up programme and regular participation in all Project Aware clean-up days.

A College spokesman explained to us that “we are very proud in receiving this award and it is testimony to the hard work, dedication and commitment of all the staff at Red Sea Diving College”.

The environmental work of the dive centre will continue throughout 2008. There are plans to launch some environmental initiatives within the Russian diving community and there are also plans being developed to begin a coral re-grafting project - under the direction of Dr Mohammed Salem, Chief Marine Biologist from the Ras Mohammed National Park.
There are also plans to link up with the Project Aware Coral Watch scheme. In Taba Heights, Red Sea Waterworld - a sister company of Red Sea Diving College - will continue its work with HEPCA in renewing the fixed moorings that prevent damage to coral.
Amr Ali from HEPCA explained that he hoped to see more dive centres active in the kind of work that the College has been carrying out.

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