Ashkelon’s Sand Sculpture Festival Brings International Artists To Its Beaches
International sand sculpture artists have arrived in Ashkelon to create magical figures from sand.
sustainable tourism
An Organic Farm Springs Up in Sinai
The Wadi Marawan Organic Farm is a new project by the ‘Best Friends Safari’ that guides tour groups in Egypt Located at the terraces of Panorama Mountain Camp, the Wadi Marawan Organic Farm is a veritable paradise in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula. Over 4,000 sq. metres of land is planted with vegetables and […]
Morocco’s Tourism Season Kicks off With Luxury Eco-Camping
Every year thousands of Europeans head to Morocco for a cheap trip; hopefully more will travel the eco-friendly way. British tour operator Specialist Morocco recently announced that they are opening up their ecologically-friendly tented camp in Morocco’s Southern Draa Valley for another season. And though we are particularly sensitive to greenwashing after witnessing first hand […]
Balyolu: Turkey’s First Honey Tasting Tour
Anyone who loves nature will enjoy Balyolu’s week long tour on Northeastern Turkey’s honey road. Update May 20, 2020: this tour is no longer operating. It’s impossible to understate the importance of bees. Like fruit bats – thousands of which were gunned down by unknown assailants in Lebanon last weekend – they are pollinators that […]
Is Troubled Egypt Ripe Enough For Eco-Tourism?
A new eco-village in Upper Egypt raises hopes that the country may move in a more sustainable tourism direction, which we would really love, but most indicators show that won’t happen any time soon. Hoda Baraka from Almasry Alyoum was one of the first journalists to point out how unregulated development is impacting on the timeless […]
Sustainable Travel Event of the Year in Abu Dhabi
Are you a green travel guru? Do you want to see and be seen at the most important sustainable tourism event of the year? If so, pack your bag and head to World Green Tourism Abu Dhabi 5-7 December, 2011. Nothing advances sustainability more than a meeting of green minds, which is why the World […]
The One-Eyed Salt-Carver from Siwa Who Still Loves His Craft
Nabil Hirbawy from Siwa, Egypt lost an eye to his craft, but that hasn’t dampened his passion for carving salt rock into beautiful works of art! Nabil Hirbawy was polishing off a small salt sculpture when a small piece of it struck him in the eye, leaving him partially blind – not only physically, but […]
PHOTOS Part II: An Inside Peek at the Veiled Weavers of Siwa
These women in the Siwa oasis near Libya are trained in the traditional craft of weaving Kleem (rugs). Tafline takes a rare inside look at their work. When our host Yehia secured permission from the Egyptian army manager for us to take photos at the carpet factory in Siwa, my traveling companions and I lost […]
PHOTOS Part I: Green Prophet’s Whirlwind Trip to the Siwa Oasis in Egypt
Tafline’s whirlwind tour became even more of a whirlwind when the bus broke down not once, but twice, en route to the Siwa oasis near Libya! This was the plan: leave at 8pm Friday night from Turgoman station in Cairo. Arrive in Siwa at 5.30am and meet my friend Gwen from France at the Siwa […]
3 Sustainable Hotels In The Arab World Win Big Virgin Awa
Google Maps To Bring Virtual Eco-Tourists to Israel
Soon virtual tourists will be able to view images of Israel via Google street view, reducing the need to get on a carbon-emitting airplane. Google, our modern-day cartographers, have been discovering new ways to map out the world since 2007 when they came out with Google Maps. One of the ways in which they’ve created […]
HooHa Cyclists’ House Geared Towards Housing Visiting Cyclists in Northern Israel
HooHa Cyclists’ House in northern Israel gives traveling cyclists a bike-oriented place to stay. Eco tourism has been spreading all over the Middle East, with more and more professionals in the hospitality industry becoming aware of the demand for more sustainable travel. Generally eco touristic options involve sustainable facilities, seeing wildlife, or staying at accommodations […]
Romantic Desert Lodge in Egypt Offers Fresh Eggs And Sanity
Tired of pollution and noise? Seek refuge and organic food at the Desert Lodge in Egypt’s western desert. The stunning Desert Lodge en route to Luxor has everything the weary green-minded traveler looks for: friendly faces who will welcome you with a glass of delicious hibiscus juice, sustainably-built accommodations modeled after an ancient village, fresh […]
MENA countries add revolutionary credentials to eco-tourism
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 […]
There’s More To Lebanese Tourism Than Bars And Beaches
Eco-tourism in Lebanon can do a lot to bolster local communities, if it gets off the ground. While attempting to move away from its scarred past, Lebanon has created a not-so-sustainable tourism industry with its focus on Beirut’s bars and beaches. The formerly lethargic tourism ministry is now trying to re-focus the market’s interest elsewhere […]
Egyptian Govt Cracks Down On Illegal Red Sea Development
Does new crackdown demonstrate a gradual shift in Egyptian environmental policy? The Red Sea Governorate is cracking down on illegal, unsustainable development in Hurghada, Egypt, where 200,000 citizens are custodians of one of the earth’s most unique marine ecosystems. Though challenges to its coral reef system and overall health are numerous – including tourism and […]
Phoebus Energy Offers A Hybrid Heating System for Hotels and Hospitals
Using heat pumps and expert data analysis, Phoebus is installing their energy saving solution at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem. They promise to offer energy savings, an ROI after 2 to 3 years. Some of the highest energy costs for large facilities today, especially in the hotel hospitality and health care industries, stem from their […]
Daridere Resort and Camping Area a New Turkish Eco Tourist Spot
Enjoy Turkey a little bit more naturally at Daridere Resort and Camping Area near the northwestern town of Altinoluk. Turkey, like many areas of the Middle East, is endowed with beautiful natural landscapes. Landscapes that you may not enjoy viewing the gas-guzzling, wasteful hotel, standard way. Instead, you may enjoy taking in these landscapes in […]
On Cycling and Two-Wheeler Tourism in Israel, from EcoBike's Tomer Zaksenberg
EcoBike’s Tomer Zaksenberg tells us to get our pedals turning in Israel and beyond. Cycling is booming in Israel, both as an alternative, eco-friendly form of daily transportation and as a green tourism option. Last week Karin surveyed Israel’s progress (a nation of cycling freaks) in this area, and this week we decided to get […]
Enjoy EcoBike’s Eco-Friendly Cycling Tours of Israel with a Cold Beer (Or Clean Conscience)
Bikes, beer and maybe even babes part of EcoBike: bringing eco-friendly cycling tours to a whole new demographic – the beer lover. Cycling, as fellow Green Prophet Karin has pointed out, has become very popular in Israel. Despite the dangers of braving streets shared with temperamental Middle Eastern drivers, cycling has evolved to fulfill a […]
Learn More about Volunteer Eco-Tourism from GoEco’s Jonathan Gilben
Jonathan Gilben, co-founder of GoEco, talks about his passion for eco-tourism. (Jonathan pictured at the center of this photograph and in the video clip below.) A few weeks ago we wrote about GoEco, an organization founded by Jonathan Gilben and Jonathan Tal in 2005 that has pioneered bringing the concept of volunteer eco-tourism to Israel. […]
Have a Multi-Sensual Organic Experience at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu's Bio-Tours
Treat all five of your senses with a Bio-Tour of organic agriculture at Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu. [image via: andersbrett] With the summer in full swing (and heat, and humidity), we have featured a variety of eco-tourism options in the Middle East over the past few weeks. Some options have been delicious (such as the organic […]
The Wheels of the Converted Zimmer Bus Go Recycled and Green at Exodia Bed and Breakfast
The zimmerbuses in Ezuz drive the concept of eco-tourism home. Beep beep! Eco-tourism is a broad term and can encompass a wide range of green vacations. For some, it may mean experiencing life in an eco village, for others it may mean volunteering to make a positive green impact on a community. And for certain […]
GoEco on a Volunteer Eco-Tourism Adventure in Israel
Be an alternative tourist with one of GoEco‘s volunteer eco-tourism programs this summer. Earlier this week we wrote about an alternative to the normal ways of spending the summer, in the form of an eco-touristic organic goat cheese farm in northern Israel. Good for your tummy and good for the environment, that’s definitely one of […]
Tareq Emtairah's Practical Eco-House in Aqaba, Jordan
Tareq Emtairah built this eco-house to prove that energy efficient buildings aren’t always prohibitively expensive. Jordan’s Prince Hassan does not shoulder his environmental concerns alone, nor is the Red-Dead canal project the singular answer to Jordan’s worries. In 2005, Tareq Emtairah, a consultant with the International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics at Lund University in […]