By Saada Abdel Kader Private tourism companies involved in the scuba diving business fear that a potential loss of the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia will turn the state of the industry from bad to even worse. Egypt’s cabinet announced Saturday that a maritime border agreement has been signed with Saudi Arabia stipulating that the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir fall within Saudi Arabia’s territorial waters. The agreement, which is yet to be ratified by the Egyptian parliament, has come under heavy scrutiny from many Egyptians who argue the two islands belong to Egypt and should not be given up to Saudi Arabia. Whereas many Egyptian activists and critics of the government say that the ownership of the two islands is a matter of national security, tourism companies based in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh have other reasons for opposing the agreement. The loss of the two islands would prove disastrous at a time when tourism is already dipping, and 2,500 Egyptian and foreign tourists heading to Sharm for scuba diving on a daily basis, according to tourism companies. The Egyptian cabinet mentioned in its statement that…
Egypt Scuba Diving Tourism Risks Losses Without Sanafir, Tiran Islands
April 12, 2016
