Jet skiing may soon be banned on the beaches of Hurghada and other resorts in the Red Sea governorate or province. The authorities of this region called this popular pastime of tourists “dangerous and deadly”, preparing an official ban.
The corresponding decision has already been submitted by the Governor of the Red Sea Province, Amr Hanafi. It provides for a ban on the use of jet skis “in various cities of the province as a precautionary measure to preserve the lives of citizens and tourists.” As the governor said, this attraction “leads to catastrophic accidents.” Moreover, according to the head of the resort province, the solution has been developed since 2010 but will be activated in a few days.
“I have given instructions to all concerned authorities to quickly activate the solution and act decisively. As a measure of influence, a fine with confiscation of this vehicle is envisaged,” the governor added.
Alaa Akel, chairman of the management committee of the Egyptian Chamber of Hotel Enterprises, clarified that the use of jet skis is already not allowed on most Egyptian beaches “because of terrible accidents with fatal consequences.” According to him, jet skis are dangerous both for tourists who drive them and for unsuspecting swimmers and divers.
“This ban will not affect tourism in Egypt in any way. No tourist comes for this attraction,” the government officials also assured. They said that additional restrictions are certainly not what tourists want from the resort. “But since the accidents of these vehicles are terrible and catastrophic, we have decided not to wait for a very likely accident and are imposing the ban immediately,” they added.