Like other parts of Egypt, the touristic Red Sea Governorate has experienced a diesel fuel shortage, which has led to a crisis in the tourism sector. Due to the lack of fuel, tourist agencies have had to cut down on the number of excursions to historical sites from Hurghada to both Cairo and Luxor.
Additionally, the crisis has affected electricity generators in hotels and tourist villages, which has pushed hotel owners to buy diesel fuel from the black market at high prices in order to maintain their reputation among tourist-exporting foreign travel agencies.
Like other parts of Egypt, the touristic Red Sea Governorate has experienced a diesel fuel shortage, which has led to a crisis in the tourism sector. Due to the lack of fuel, tourist agencies have had to cut down on the number of excursions to historical sites from Hurghada to both Cairo and Luxor.
Additionally, the crisis has affected electricity generators in hotels and tourist villages, which has pushed hotel owners to buy diesel fuel from the black market at high prices in order to maintain their reputation among tourist-exporting foreign travel agencies.
“Refueling has become a nightmare for me and other tourist bus drivers,” said Mahmud Abdunnasser, a tourist bus driver. “We go through hell and have to stay overnight in front of gas stations to get diesel fuel, which has delayed, and sometimes made travel agencies cancel tourist trips to Cairo and Luxor.”
Forced to decrease the number of tourist trips his agency offers to Cairo and Luxor, as a result of the fuel shortage, Mohammad Sawi warned that the continuation of the crisis would negatively affect the reputation of Egyptian tourism worldwide. Badawi Abdulkarim, a tour guide, concurs with Sawi, claiming that safaris and scuba diving activities have significantly been affected by the crisis.
Decreasing allocation
Hotel owners in the city of Marsa Alam, south of Hurghada, have called upon Prime Minister Hesham Qandil and Ministry Of Petroleum (MoP) to rapidly solve the growing crisis. General Secretary of the Red Sea Governorate Saadeddine Amin says the governorate has suffered a decrease of 40% in its allocation of diesel fuel, attributing the severe impact the crisis has had on the governorate in particular to the thousands of cars daily passing via it from the Upper Egypt governorates to Cairo and the northern governorates and vice-versa, add to this the tourist buses which makes the issue even more complicated.
The governorate’s allocation, says Amin, amounts to 1,125 tons daily, but sometimes only 300 tons are supplied. He explained that they continuously addressed MoP and the Public Company for the purpose of supplying the governorate with its official allocation, adding that owners of hotels and tourist villages sent letters demanding the allocation of a special share of diesel fuel for their foundations away from the governorate gas stations share, a proposal under discussion.
Natural gas may be the solution
Director of Supply and Internal Trade in the Red Sea Governorate Alaa Murtada attributes the crisis to the fact that the governorate’s consumption of diesel fuel exceeds its allocation, suggesting that immanent supply of tourist villages with natural gas is a major procedure to solve the crisis.
