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The Red Sea has always been very generous to us offering divers colors and
emotions like few other places in the world.
Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Dahab, Marsa Alam and all of our favorite
destinations were left out of the recent uprisings for freedom and justice that
have changed the political fate of Egypt, yet Red Sea resorts still pay the
consequences of the crisis, which has severely penalized the tourism business.
Fortunately, all European countries have now reopened flights to the Red Sea;
therefore all of us can book a holiday in any of our favourite Egyptian
destinations with complete peace of mind.
The recovery is still hampered by unjustified fears, because the Red Sea-is-and
always has been a quiet heaven away from the unrest.
The Red Sea calls divers ... divers, answer!
The Red Sea has given a lot to us divers and now it's our turn to return the
favour and forget the fears of friends and acquaintances that still consider it
unsafe.
To explain whats happening in Egypt, I asked for help from a friend of mine,
Ornella Ditel -an Italian woman expert in diving and tourism- who works at
Camel Dive Club in Sharm
El Sheikh, and lived from there all stages of this important historical moment.
Why this is the best time to visit Egypt
In little more than a month, Egypt has totally changed. After
30 years of government by Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians just had enough and took to
the streets in Cairo and major cities first to cry to themselves, and then to
the whole world, their thirst for freedom and justice.
The first steps towards democracy have mainly involved the young population, of
which 60% consists of youths under 30 years, who with the help of Twitter and
Facebook has achieved what seemed unthinkable: the resignation of the Pharaoh.
The special connection with Europe is known to millions of tourists who have always been an important part of the travel business in Egypt: from Cairo to Luxor, from Alexandria to Aswan, via Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Hurghada and Marsa Alam.
The travel warnings issued by most of the European Foreign
Offices (excluding UK) and the resulting stop of hundreds of flights to the
destinations of the Red Sea has now been removed, but this severely penalized
the countrys tourism market, a fundamental component of Egyptian GDP, that now
more than ever needs stability and growth.
Although the situation in the Red Sea resorts has always been peaceful and quiet,
a high price has been paid for the crisis.
All of a sudden, tourists have almost completely disappeared and the British
found themselves to be the only lucky ones to enjoy the sea and the fantastic
temperatures of a particularly pleasant pre-spring time.
From February 26 the first charter flights have begun to land from Italy,
Switzerland, Germany and most of the other European countries.
On the weekend of 5-6 March all tour operators will resume gradually and the
predictions are for a return to normal with the approach of Easter and summer
holidays.
Sharm recently hosted a lively and colorful parade in which hundreds of Egyptians and foreigners, including many children, marched united under a simple but significant slogan: "We love Egypt".
It is then natural to ask ourselves how to demonstrate this love for Egypt. How to support a country that has always welcomed Europeans with warmth and joy? This is the best time to visit the Egyptian resorts: the sea, perhaps the only beneficiary of the few tourists, this month took the opportunity to enrich even more the beauty of the reef. Divers in these days report almost deserted sites, water temperatures on 23/24 C ˚ and fantastic dives by boat and from the shore.
The historical
Camel Dive Club has
continued working with an average of 2 / 3 boats a day to sites along the coast,
Tiran, Ras Mohammed and the wreck of the SS Thistlegorm.
The number of reservations, however, is significantly lower than normal, as
confirmed by the foreign instructors that have remained in Sharm. For this
reason, many diving centres are promoting special offers on diving packages and
courses, or are extending those already planned until April.
Similarly the night clubs, which have always been operating, generally revised
down their price-lists to encourage recovery.
Likewise, hotels and travel agencies are currently offering a
wide range of discounted deals for holiday packages in the excellent facilities
of the Red Sea, even if there seems to be a clear tendency among operators:
encouraging outward travel with attractive prices, without devaluing an already
very affordable destination.
For travel agents it has not been easy to divert sales to other destinations, as
it is virtually impossible to find an equivalent to a holiday in the Red Sea in
this season: good temperatures within a maximum 5 hours flight, a barrier reef
among the best in world, and above all excellent value for money.
At this point there are few doubts about what to do, for anyone who is planning the next vacation. Egypt has changed its history, showing the world its strength and its peaceful desire to grow, but now needs us and our desire to travel, to discover and rediscover this land rich in history, nature and humanity.
Author: Ornella Ditel
Introductions author: Marco Daturi
Photographer: Adolfo Maciocco
It is absolutely forbidden to reproduce, even partial, of the text in this article without permission.
