Egypt Plans Major Revamp of Sinai’s Blue Hole to Support Tourism and Reef Conservation

Egypt’s environment minister, Manal Awad, has carried out meetings for overseeing the comprehensive development of the unique Blue Hole diving site in Sinai, in Egypt’s coastal region near the Red Sea. As the country is stepping forward with effort to balance tourism growth with enhanced environmental protection. 

The minister of environment during her visit on Sunday, 26 April 2026, at the Blue Hole, which is located within the Abu Galum Nature Reserve near the Red Sea coast in the resort town of Dahab. Here she observed the need for a dedicated plan to upgrade the experiences for the visitors, with enhanced services, alongside ensuring the safeguarding of the fragile coral reef ecosystem at the Blue Hole.  

What’s Sinai’s Blue Hole? 

The world’s unique blue hole is a 100+ meter deep submarine sinkhole in the Red Sea, located south of the Sinai Peninsula. In Egypt it is a freediving site and scuba diving, but contrastingly, it is also known as the “world’s deadliest dive site.” The site is situated in the Abu Galum Nature Reserve near Dahab resort town. 

It is a roughly circular, steep-walled sinkhole with a large 6-meter sinkhole opening and is widely known as “the Saddle.” The site also has a lot of beachside cafes, restaurants, and several spots for rental dive equipment and resting areas. Widely explored for experiencing the unique biodiversity of the site. 

Then, after noticing and inspecting, Manal Awad has said about the redevelopment of the visual identity of the site with the improved infrastructure of the site that it adds to the environmental and tourism value of the site. She also has ordered a strict regulation of tourism activities. This includes stricter control on the vehicle access and number of visitors.  

She said, “The coral reefs are a national treasure and a right for present and future generations.” To preserve the coral ecosystem, the minister has directed the officials with the orders of issuing the identification cards for individuals who will act as environmental monitors, as they will be helping in protecting the reserve. Also, these individuals are going to be responsible for spreading awareness among the visitors. 

While addressing this, she has also announced the installation of electronic payment systems for entrance fees to improve transparency and records of tourists visiting the site. During her visit, she also visited the local businesses, cafes, shops, and environmental groups to share the plans for upgrading the site. 

Visit to the Sharm el-sheikh Diving sites 

A day earlier, she and the governor of South Sinai, Kamal, conducted a maritime inspection tour at the Ras Mohammed National Park and, additionally, some Sharm el-Sheikh sites to look after the marine activities and operations. The tour is specially organized for inspections of environmentally friendly vessels, solar- and wind-powered boats, and a tourist submarine to promote sustainable tourism for the visitors. 

After reviewing the progress of digitizing fee collection at protected areas, have ordered the officials with a strict monitoring of waste disposal from tourists on yachts to prevent the precious marine ecosystems from being damaged. Additionally, she has also said to maintain and upgrade the patrol environmental boards.  

She has also urged coordination with the Chamber of Diving and Water Sports in order to have a discussion about the expansion and maintenance of mooring buoys that will reduce the pressure on the coral reefs of the Red Sea. This measure is also part of a broader plan that is proposed for the transformation of Sharm el-Sheikh into a regional model under the Green Sharm initiative to promote sustainable tourism.  

The broader plan is supported by the Global Environment Facility and responsibly implemented by Egypt’s Environmental Affairs Agency with a collaboration with the United Nations Development Program to increase nature-friendly tourism that will run till June 2028. Under this initiative, major areas are targeted by Sharm El-Sheikh, along with Nabq, Abu Galum, and Ras Mohammed, which will benefit from this program. 

On Sunday, in a separate meeting, she addressed the progress across six pillars of the Green Sharm. It includes transport, renewable energy, waste management, water and sanitation, community development, and biodiversity. The official also highlighted Sharm El-Sheikh’s accession to the ICLEI, a local government for sustainability, which was announced in June 2025. It will make the first Egyptian city and fourth in the Arab world to join in the global network, committing to sustainable urban development with a focus on green tourism and climate resilience. 

Here the official showcased the newly launched applications, which were introduced for monitoring the marine biodiversity and also effectively measure the electronic permits at the nature reserves. Alongside that, the solar panels for solar street lighting at the participating hotels are also shown. 

Conclusion 

The recent inspection and special addressing by the environment minister show that Egypt’s tourism sector is closely being monitored and ensuring progress for comfortable travel for international visitors in Egypt, especially in the coastal regions. Learn about more recent trends and news in the tourism sector of Egypt with us.  

We’re a dedicated touring company that also offers the comprehensive Nile cruise booking service. If you have any query regarding that, do contact our teams for effortless bookings of Egypt tours and cruises. 

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