Kitesurfing Draws Adventure Tourists to the Red Sea, With El Gouna, Soma Bay and Makadi Leading the Way

Kitesurfing is drawing growing numbers of adventure tourists to Egypt's Red Sea coast, with El Gouna, Soma Bay and Makadi named as the leading spots, according to reporting by Al-Masry Al-Youm and Youm7.

In a feature published on 6 July, Al-Masry Al-Youm described the stretch from El Gouna in the north through Hurghada, Safaga, Soma Bay and Makadi down to Hamata and Wadi Lahmy near Marsa Alam as the world capital of the sport, citing steady north-westerly winds averaging 17 to 22 knots for most of the year.

Water sports instructor Hany Ahmed told the paper the coast's standing was not chance but the result of "a unique combination of natural factors", naming stable regular winds, warm clear water and shallow depths over wide areas. Instructor Ahmed El-Hassani said the Red Sea has a large number of centres and schools working to international standards, supervised by trainers certified by international federations.

El Gouna, Soma Bay and Makadi are the beaches Al-Masry Al-Youm identifies as suited to beginners, with the more open, windier water left to advanced riders. Visitors come from Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, the paper said.

Ashraf Saleh, who owns a diving and kitesurfing centre in Hurghada, said kitesurfers stay considerably longer than conventional tourists, in some cases for weeks or months. Mustafa Swelem, a water sports centre director, called for wider promotion to attract high-spending adventure travellers, and for better rescue services.

In an earlier report on the sport, Youm7 named El Gouna, north Hurghada, Soma Bay, Makadi and Marsa Alam as the main areas, and said German, Italian and French visitors make up the bulk of those who travel specifically to ride. Instructor Arafat Amin told Youm7 that many arrive from their home countries for the sport alone.