At 7am on Tuesday, a frightful explosion rocked Luxor, where ancient Egyptian antiquities draw scores of tourists each year. The blast that engulfed a hot air balloon in mid air was heard and felt several kilometers away. One Egyptian and 18 foreign tourists are said to have died and the Civil Aviation Minister told Reuters [...]
The Egyptian government announced earlier this week that a plan to bridge the distance between Egypt and Saudi Arabia across the Gulf of Aqaba is going to become reality in the very near future. A longstanding proposal previously rejected by former President Hosni Mubarak, a bridge linking the Sinai Peninsula and Saudi Arabia is expected [...]
Take everything you ever learned about Iran and banish it from your mind. Do it. Do it right now. Because this country is far more interesting than mainstream papers would have you believe. Boasting one of the world’s oldest continuing civilizations and a trove of architectural, cultural, historical and natural treasures, not to mention some [...]
Divers found a dead dugong in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt early this week, according to the environmental advocacy group HEPCA. Immediately after Colona Dive Center alerted HEPCA about the dead marine mammal discovered between Magwaish Island and Gotaa Magawish, the latter sent a patrol boat out to investigate, according to a [...]
Abu Dhabi is full of contradictions. Despite a devoted mix of forward-thinking, eco-savvy organizations, students and government officials that strive hard to bring the emirate in line with the realities of the 21st century, society overall maintains an unabashed commitment to the very good life. Of course, not all Emiratis are driving a white gold [...]
Pamukkale is the most sensual and surreal of Turkey’s eleven World Heritage sites. Seventeen natural hot springs pour a continual stream of mineral water down the enormous travertine steps of Turkey’s Pamukkale. It’s a Dali painting come alive. Rock formations melt like liquid stairs dropping from hilltop Hierapolis towards the surrounding skirt of farmland. It’s [...]
The Water Disqus Hotel (WDH) lauded on blogs galore a few months ago is one step closer to reality, and the project’s new investment team has received exclusive rights to build in all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, they told Green Prophet. Comprised of an above water disc connected to an underwater disc by five [...]
Ghadamès is one of the oldest habitable medinas in the Sahara, and it is made almost entirely out of mud. Built in the seventh century and listed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1986, this clustered clay settlement in Libya epitomizes everything that makes earth architecture so worthwhile. In the summer, according to the locals, [...]
A tourist attraction in northern Israel has fitted donkeys with WiFi collars so that passengers can surf the web while exploring the historical Galilee region. The Kfar Kedem park originally designed to give visitors an authentic introduction to life during biblical times has added a high-tech aspect to the tour in order to attract a younger [...]
It takes a certain kind of traveler to use Couchsurfing in the first place. Can you imagine high-flying Emiratis or Saudis rocking up on a stranger’s doorstep with a bag full of groceries? And then, would they be willing to give up the comfort of their elaborate villas for a couch? Stranger things have happened [...]
Brochures for the Giza Pyramids usually depict Egypt’s historic relics amid a poignant desert background or a deep, radiant sunset. Camels and their Bedouin owners lurk in the background, poised to take visitors on the adventure of a lifetime. But these images spread only half the truth. Although numbers have dropped precipitously since the revolution, in [...]
Activists have launched an international campaign to boycott key Namibian industries ahead of its annual slaughter of 91,000 seals. Not long ago we wrote a story about Hatem Yavuz, the “King of Seal Killers,” and our readers were outraged. An Australian man with Turkish heritage, Yavuz is now responsible for 85% of the world’s seal [...]
A boy chases a ball into one of Tunisia’s 400 unofficial dumps. After the hustle and bustle of Tunisia’s capital medina dies down, the kids come out to play – in the trash! A large open area just a few blocks from the main tourist attraction, a space between two buildings has been converted into [...]
Arava Power Company’s application was approved last night by Israel’s Public Utility Authority for their 40 MW, $150 million photovoltaic solar farm at Kibbutz Ketura, just north of the tourist destination city of Eilat in Israel’s Arava Valley. Able to ship out one-third of the electricity consumption during Eilat’s peak daylight hours, the solar farm will [...]
Plans to build a Red Sea bridge connecting Saudi Arabia and Egypt have been revived but there are some serious environmental concerns More than two decades after it was first planned, Egypt and Saudi Arabia may be about to start work on a land and sea bridge connecting the two countries. The proposed bridge would [...]
This new eco-resort in the Fayoum Oasis offers tourists and locals respite from Egypt’s ongoing chaos. Without the steady influx of tourists and constant political trouble, Egyptians are wondering when their lives will ever return to normal. But the folks at El Mandara eco-resort in Fayoum promise that visitors to their new facility will experience [...]
Eco-tourists may be able to get to see these underwater creatures in Eilat faster due to the construction of a railway line from Tel Aviv. Eilat, located at the southern tip of Israel, draws both local and international tourists year-round due to its warm weather and marine biodiversity. Though not equipped with an international airport, [...]
When it is complete, the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai Hotel will be the world’s tallest. Never mind that scientists have discovered giant plumes of methane that could speed up global-warming, which could contribute to even higher temperatures in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other countries. Pay no attention to the fact that hundreds of partially unoccupied [...]
An English-language ‘green’ tour of Tel Aviv will take place this weekend in honor of Tu B’Shvat, the Jewish New Year for trees. The city of Tel Aviv is no stranger to green tours, in fact it has seen all kinds of them. Tel Aviv’s eco-tourists can enjoy a running tour of the city, a [...]
Tourists offended by this gruesome display of endangered species reported the Picalbatros restaurant in Hurghada, Egypt to the local conservation agency. Tourists who dine at the Pickalbatros restaurant in Hurghada might be greeted with a gruesome scene: sharks, rays, and parrot fish hanging from hooks, Egypt Independent reports. While some people have turned a blind [...]
Lifeguard shack on drummer’s beach in Israel is soon to be upcycled into a unique new boutique “pixel” hotel. We’ve heard of pixelated screens and buildings, but pixel hotels are a new phenomenon that started as an art project in Linz, Austria. Now these tiny hotels established in unusual, typically abandoned urban settings – whether [...]
Egypt’s first wildlife sanctuary in the Red Sea will ensure that Hurghada’s Indo-pacific dolphins can rest and socialize in peace! Egypt’s Red Sea Governor Mahmoud Assem has established a safe-zone designed to protect the vulnerable Indo-pacific dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). The move, which bans any kind of vessel from entering the Fanous Reef, has been lauded [...]
Sicilian photographer Giusi Cosentino has shared striking images straight from the heart of Tahrir Square. Sicilian photographer Giusi Cosentino and her partner Alex Tricani were commissioned to document life in Cairo in order to boost tourism. Fate pushed us together a couple of weeks ago when our bus to the Siwa oasis near Libya broke down, [...]
Who needs terrorism when we’ve got oil spills? “The Mega Leisure Destination on the Red Sea” has sprung an oily leak so serious that the Egyptian authorities have declared a state of emergency, according to Almasry Alyoum. General Petroleum Corporation reported that one of their wells is leaking in three Gamsha spots north of Hurghada [...]
You’d think the top clean tech investments come from the United States, China or Brazil. Look again on the right side of this chart to show how green economies actually perform. Israel is a top 4 with Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. A new report called the Global Green Economy Index shows that although the perceived [...]
Jordan’s Six Senses Evason Hot Springs Eco Resort. Does King Abdullah and family come here for fun? There are numerous eco-tourism options available in the Middle East. Green-hearted tourists can climb “God’s Mountain” in Egypt or visit the desert oasis of Siwa along the Red Sea coast in Sinai. But in the United Arab Emirates, five star [...]
Can Wadi Rum cope with a predicted influx of tourists attracted by its World Heritage status? In June, the Jordanian desert valley of Wadi Rum joined the UNESCO World Heritage List, with a decision which has been much predicted since the end of 2010. According to Green Prophet’s Tafline Laylin, writing in September 2010, UNESCO [...]
This man claims he will fight a 617 pound lion in order to boost Egyptian tourism. A modern-day Egyptian gladiator has reportedly announced plans to fight an African lion. Al-Sayed al-Eassawy claims to have the Ministry of Interior’s blessings to fight the animal in front of the Giza pyramids, all in an exceedingly misguided effort to [...]
A floating ‘green’ golf course Island is planned for the climate change-vulnerable nation of the Maldives but how green is it really? The Maldives is a small archipelago nation that is extremely vulnerable to climate change due to the risk of rising sea levels. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicted that a rise [...]
An Egyptian real estate developer is planning to build on 650 acres of protected land near Lake Qarun Despite the huge potential for Eco-tourism in the Middle East, the reality is that most tourism development in the region are about one thing: making lots of money. Protecting the environment and preserving important natural habitats are [...]
We applaud Dubarch’s steps towards sustainability, but is a 70 hectare 5 star resort in no-man’s-land a good idea? The Tourist Development & Investment Company of Abu Dhabi (TDIC) started developing a resort in the vast and uninhabitable area outside the capital called the Empty Quarter. Architects Dubarch designed what will be a high-profile, luxury 5 [...]
ResponsibleTravel.com customers on holiday in Egypt. Feluccas and Pharoahs, a popular trip. British ethical tourism pioneers ResponsibleTravel.com has celebrated its tenth birthday by announcing its biggest ten sellers over the last decade – and Middle Eastern destinations top the list. Responsible Travel offers hundreds of holidays across the world and its birthday announcement also included [...]
Could First Choice all-inclusive holidays spell the end for small businesses in Middle Eastern resorts? First Choice, one of Britain’s leading package holiday companies, announced this week that all holidays sold as of 2012 under its brand will be all-inclusive. This means that as well as flights and hotels, the price that tourists pay up-front [...]
Souvenirs of the recent revolution are already on sale in Tahrir Square In recent weeks, Green Prophet has reported on concerns for MENA regional eco-tourism after visitor numbers slumped over concerns about safety, and on worries that the conflict in Libya could damage the country’s stunning historical remains. But plans to promote Middle East and [...]
The Middle East has become one of the most popular tourist destinations, and is expected to become even more so, but the current unrest has taken its toll. Even though Dubai has been spared the awful drama that has gripped many countries in the Middle East – most dramatically Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya – the [...]
Around 3,000 horses have faced hardship and even starvation during the protests which rocked Egypt and toppled a 30-year dictatorship It’s been over ten days since Egyptians managed to unchain themselves from a 30-year old dictatorship after weeks of gathering in Tahrir Square to tell Mubarak to leave. According to Human Rights Watch just under [...]
Planning out your vacations for the new year ahead? Beirut, Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi make the cut. A few months ago, world-renowned travel guide company Lonely Planet made a list of its top 10 cities for 2011. Tel Aviv made the prized 3rd place spot (after New York and Tangier, but before Valencia, Delhi, [...]
View from Israel to Jordan; hotel owners fear that years of construction projects will send tourists to the other side. The discussions over an appropriate solution to rising water levels in the southern Dead Sea flared up again in Israel last Wednesday as representatives of 14 hotel owners and environmentalists urged the government to abandon [...]
Egyptian negligence may have caused the unnecessary death of a German tourist yesterday. An illegal Australian sheep dump in the sea might be the cause. Just after authorities reopened the tourist area to snorkelers following three separate shark attacks last week, a German woman was attacked and killed in Sharm al-Sheikh yesterday. Last week three [...]
Fed by tourists for fits and giggles, Saudi baboons have turned rogue. A gooey, cotton-candy visit to the local zoo or circus is the closest some people ever get to the ever-diminishing wild, which in turn dulls their wild sensibilities. There is the classic story of a Japanese tourist who visited a lion park in [...]