Ras Muhammed National Park
Tourism in South Sinai is overwhelmingly sea resort tourism and largely mass (or package)
tourism, which is very price sensitive. It is also overwhelmingly international in character. For
example, in 2000/2001, 86% of tourists were foreign and only 14% Egyptian. Individual and small
group tourists are a small segment of the market.
South Sinai is a major and growing destination for European holidaymakers. South Sinai and the
Egyptian Red Sea Coast is the closest destination to Europe with a climate warm enough for year
round beach and sea holidays, and can offer over 90% days of sunshine. With hundreds of
kilometres of coastline, world-famous coral reefs, an unspoiled and largely uninhabited desert
hinterland, and good basic tourism infrastructure, South Sinai is very well positioned in the huge
European market for sun and sea getaways.
The typical tourist establishment in South Sinai is either a tourist village or resort hotel (2), with 4
to 5 star classifications. It will have 200 to 400 rooms (400 to 800 beds), 3-5 restaurants, two
swimming pools, beachside activities, a sports/fitness centre, souvenir shops and convenience
stores. It may also offer facilities such as a dive centre and other special recreational facilities such
as a gambling casino. A typical tourist establishment will be likely to have its own source of power
generation (at least as back up) and its own water desalination and sewage treatment plants. Ample
trees and greenery will be irrigated from treated effluent. It will be, on average, somewhat over
half full. With few exceptions, guests will be on organized package tours (in groups of 20-50
persons), which have been arranged from their countries of origin. Guests are most likely to be
Italians, British, Germans, or Russians. Egyptians appear in large numbers only at local holiday
peak times. The hoteliers’ strategy is to offer guests everything they need (and everything they
purchase) within the resort itself, with diving and other excursions arranged through the hotel. Half
and full board accommodation is very common.
The resort nature of tourism in South Sinai has remained dominant since tourism took off in the
1980’s. The aim of tourists remains to enjoy the sun and beaches and partake in sea-based
activities. Scuba diving in South Sinai has an international reputation, and the rapid growth in
South Sinai can be partly attributed to this diving reputation. A very small amount of cultural
tourism (St. Katherine Monastery and Mount Sinai), desert safaris and other nature or ethnic
adventures are being promoted, although in numbers terms, such non-resort tourism activities are
insignificant.
Ras Mohammed National park RMNP was declared in 1983. The total area of ras mohammed is
480 km 2 (48 000 ha). The area classified into two parts, the marine part (part from Gulf of Suez
and part from Gulf of Aqaba) which represent 70% and the terrestrial part representing 30%. The
coast of the gulf of suez is low – lying sandy to muddy and influenced strongly by tidal variations.
The tidal – intertidal zone of the East Coast of Gulf of Suez (ECGS) is very wide and may exceed
1 km at some areas, which give the chance to migratory and resident birds to rest and feed without
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disturbance. The vegetation along the coast is very poor, the most common plant is Zygophylum
coccinum. On the other hand the tidal – intertidal zone of the westren Coast of Gulf of Aqaba
(WCGA) is narrow and representing a typical sea cliffs and fringing coral reefs, which considered
as a key species to the other related marine habitats, like hundreds species of fish, sponges, snails
and crustaceans. Birds is considered as an important species to the area e.g. storks, waders and
herons, about 119 bird species were recorded in the area both of migratory and resident. Sea
grasses, mangroves and vegetation are important species to turtles- fishes, shrimps, crustaceans -
birds and rodents, respectively. Acacia radiana is the common tree which distibuted in 2 wadis at
Ras Mohammed used by migratory passerines to hide and rest under shadow. The area is used for
tourism purposes and research. The land and sea tourism activities represent the common threat to
the natural habitat by direct or indirect effect. The second threat to coral ecosystem is a natural
phenomena when the corals attacked by crown of thorn (Acanthaster planci); sea starfish with 13 -
16 arms, which digist and absorb the coral animal. Oil spill pollution is another threat to all
ecosystems. These threats has been followed by the monitoring programmes to find rbid solutions
to minimize the damage to the area.
Declared in 1983 and subjected to a comprehensive development program initiated in 1989, the
Ras Mohammed National Park has since become an essential feature to the economic development
on South Sinai.
The boundaries of the National Park extend from a point opposite the Qad Ibn Haddan lighthouse
on the Gulf of Suez to the southern boundary of the Nabq Protectorate on the Gulf of Suez. The
area includes the island of Tiran and all shorelines fronting the Sharm el Sheikh tourism
development area.
Tourism in Southern Sinai is inherently linked to the natural resources of the area. Degradation of
these natural resources as a result of tourism or development activities is not in the best interests of
the investors or the tourists. The Protectorates program seeks to establish an equilibrium between
development activities, tourism and the natural resource conservation measures needed to achieve
sustainable economic development.
It is essential that all users recognize their individual responsibility to protect the natural resources
of the area, remembering that these are common property resources, of international importance,
and the heritage of future Egyptian generations.
Coral reef ecosystems found in the National Park are recognized internationally as among the
world's best. This recognition is based primarily on the diversity of flora and fauna, clear, warm
water devoid of pollutants, their proximity to shorelines and their spectacular vertical profile. The
reef exists as an explosion of color and life in stark contrast to the seemingly barren desert adjacent
to it. In reality, the desert is rich in fauna, mainly nocturnal. These ecosystems are intrinsically
linked and thus must be managed as a single unit.
Ras Mohammed National Park occupies one of the world's most extraordinary settings: a slender,
dramatically arid peninsula at the very southernmost tip of the Sinai, rising to a dramatic
promontory that looks out over some of the most gloriously rich coral reefs that you will ever see.
The Ras Mohammed peninsula marks the nexus of the shallow Gulf of Suez and the deep
intercontinental chasm of the Gulf of Aqaba, itself a small portion of the Great Rift Valley that
stretches deep into Africa. Declared a park in 1983, Ras Mohammed contains within its modest
area an astounding variety of life, ranging from the gazelles of its northern desert area to the
brilliant orange coral groupers of its skirting reefs.
The boundaries of Ras Mohammed extend far out into the surrounding waters, and even the most
casual of visitors is struck by how much of the park is dominated by the sea. Even the dry land area
of the park seems a part of the marine world: in the north, large dunes are interspersed with
outcroppings of Miocene limestone in which are embedded an astonishing wealth and variety of
marine fossils. In fact, the dramatic promontory that marks the Sinai's southernmost tip belongs in
part to the sea, as it is in fact an enormous, fossilized coral reef, left high and dry tens of thousands
of years ago.
For many visitors, Ras Mohammed's most stunning scenery is found underwater, in the broad,
terraced coral reefs that encircle the peninsula. Fire corals and brilliant sea fans abound here, and
among these lush reef corals roams a truly magnificent array of both reef and pelagic fish--over a
thousand species in all.
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