Egypt has long been a country heavily dependent on tourism – a fact that is as much due to its great weather as the astounding and wondrous architecture of The Pyramids. Yet, over the past year the country has seen something of a resurgence on an international scale as the recession has caused many holidaymakers to avoid the Eurozone to get the most from their foreign exchange.



Data published from a recent Mastercard poll (at chroniclelive.co.uk) shows that Egypt came out tops among Mastercard users from across the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa – and posited the notion that developing resorts such as Sharm el-Sheikh are also fuelling its popularity as a destination for cheap sun holidays. So what does Sharm el-Sheikh have going for it?



Sharm el-Sheikh is a city of more than 800,000 inhabitants on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula around 80 miles south of Mount Sinai. Since the early 80s the city has been subject to formidable, but well controlled developments in order to maximise its capabilities as a tourist area whilst not harming the natural surroundings. In September and October the average high temperatures peak at around 36 degrees Celsius.



The city sits on the Red Sea coast and boasts a famously rich underwater ecosystem. There are more than a thousand different species of fish evident in the Red Sea, as well as over 1,000 miles of coral reef to be explored. Subsequently, alongside scuba diving, Sharm el-Sheikh is home to a host of other water sports, including wind surfing, canoeing and sailing.



Sharm el-Sheik, and a number of other resort areas such as the Sinai’s Nuweiba, as well as El Gouna and Soma Bay on the East Egyptian coast, are collectively known as the Red Sea Riveira. This ensures that each of the areas, much of which is National Park land, is subject to a number of laws to ensure marine life and the surrounding desert is protected and not poorly managed.



Aside from all the city has to offer, Sharm el-Sheikh is also in close proximity to Mount Sinai – a mountain of great geological and religious significance for tourists. The mountain itself is 2,285 metres tall and is situated by the highest peak on the Sinai peninsula, Mount St. Catherine. Its religious history is evident with the Monastery of St. Catherine, and both a mosque and Greek Orthodox chapel can be found at the mountain’s summit.

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