Red Sea Ecotourism: A Case Study on Sustainable Development

Selim, Tarek (2009): Red Sea Ecotourism: A Case Study on Sustainable Development. Published in: Clean Globe Conference (2009)

Abstract

Ecological tourism is one of the major expanding types of tourism worldwide. An ecotourist is a traveler interested in nature’s beauty and life diversity while guaranteeing minimal impact on natural and cultural endowments and is willing to pay an economic value to satisfy those needs. Hence, ecotourism generates value added economic benefits to society while at the same time guarantees the sustainability of environmental resources for future tourism receipts. The Egyptian ecotourism industry constitutes a critical element of the country’s path to sustainable development. The element of sustainability as a cornerstone of ecotourism is essentially important for the survival and well-being of environmental resources in Egyptian ecological resorts. To incorporate the notion of sustainability, this paper primarily conducts an environmental industry analysis on Egypt’s ecological tourism as a case study to the implementation of clean environmental elements coupled with strong economic competitiveness. The approach undertaken supports the formulation of strategies to maximize economic returns, capture environmental market opportunities, and reduce negative environmental impacts especially on Egyptian coastal zones. Important elements for the enhancement of the Egyptian ecotourism industry are reached in terms of industry competitiveness and environmental conservation. Such elements are necessary towards the target of sustainable tourism development in Egypt.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Ecology, Tourism, Egypt, Environmental Policy, Sustainable Development, Red Sea, Sinai
• Subjects: L - Industrial Organization > L8 - Industry Studies: Services > L83 - Sports ; Gambling ; Restaurants ; Recreation ; Tourism; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q5 - Environmental Economics > Q57 - Ecological Economics: Ecosystem Services ; Biodiversity Conservation ; Bioeconomics ; Industrial Ecology; Z - Other Special Topics > Z1 - Cultural Economics ; Economic Sociology ; Economic Anthropology

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