With world-class diving and dramatic landscapes, Jenny Southan finds the Sinai Peninsula makes an ideal incentive destination.
The youthful Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, located at the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula, has generally been associated with British holidaymakers in search of winter sun. Still, this laid-back Egyptian resort is well on its way to becoming a prime option for corporate incentives and events, thanks to its wide-range of aquatic and land-based activities, impressive hospitality, affordable high-end hotels and quality conference facilities.
In 2006, the Maritim International congress centre opened, providing a slick 5,000-capacity venue that has acted as a catalyst for the local MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) market. Over the past six years it has hosted the likes of Vodafone, Intel and Coca-Cola, as well as prestigious events such as the World Economic Forum of 2008.
It is also directly connected to the 337-room Maritim Jolie Ville Peninsula hotel, which has an 18-hole PGA championship golf course, nine restaurants and bars, a 1,200 sqm Thai spa and a 4,000 sqm pool area.
Karim Nahas, general manager of the 526-room Grand Rotana resort and spa, located along the seafront (visit businesstraveller.com/tried-and-tested for a review), says that since the opening of the congress centre, Sharm has ceased being a destination solely for package getaways. “Many hotels have realised MICE is good business,” he says. “They have started either building conference space or converting existing facilities into meeting rooms.”
In addition to the Rotana, which has a 350-capacity ballroom, an al fresco amphitheatre and three interconnecting pillar-free function spaces for up to 250 delegates, there are many other contenders within a short drive.
An opulent oasis off the recently unveiled Soho Square – a shiny shopping and entertainment precinct – the 414-room Savoy can host up to 1,400 people in its majestic Egypt Hall, plus 520 in the ten-room British House and 350 delegates in Fayrouz. The swish, 136-room Four Seasons, situated only 7.5km from the airport, has a 345 sqm ballroom which hosts up to 350 delegates, and outdoor banqueting space for 500 guests.
The five-star Hyatt Regency resort has 471 rooms and is ten minutes from the airport by car. Event planners can choose from a grand ballroom for 800 people, the Regency for a 240-person reception and the Bay room for 60 seated guests. Properties from Hilton, Marriott, Novotel, Radisson Blu, Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, Sheraton and Sofitel all come with function space as well.
As a consequence of the worldwide financial crisis and a significant drop in travel to and within Egypt because of its political problems, hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh have dramatically lowered their prices. Although this may be a bad sign for locals who are trying to keep hold of their jobs as the economy suffers, it is also a lure for anyone from overseas looking for a bargain.
Ismail Imam, chairman of operator Sineen Tours, says that many of the unbranded four- and five-star hotels have lowered their rates to as little as US$22 a night, full-board, out of desperation to attract people who are nervous about travelling there. However, he emphasises that Sharm el-Sheikh is more than 500km from Cairo’s troubles and is a safe place.
Uniquely positioned at the edge of the desert and the coast, the area offers water-lovers access to some of the world’s best dive sites, as it is edged with coral reefs and sunken shipwrecks that are begging to be explored. The stunning natural landscape, which is home to the local Bedouin population, also makes for a fascinating escape.
What’s more, the proximity of these places to the hotels, airport and conference venues means that delegates can easily tag on a day or two for incentives and relaxation, or slot in an activity before flying home.
AQUATIC ACTIVITIES
Diving
There are numerous dive schools in Sharm but Camel Dive is one of the most well established, having been founded in 1986. With three local dive centres, it offers PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) courses for scuba (a half-day costs €95) and deep sea diving, as well as night, express speedboat, technical and professional diving.
Those with confidence and experience can visit underwater wrecks such as the Second World War British merchant navy ship SS Thistlegorm, which sunk in 1941, and get up close with all sorts of marine fauna – from manta rays and bottlenose dolphins to bowmouth guitar sharks and sea turtles. Clare Mucklow, marketing manager for Camel Dive Club, says: “A lot of people come here especially to learn to dive. We can rent out boats to groups of up to 25 people and do all the catering.”
The company also has a 38-room hotel and rooftop bar in Na’ama Bay, a buzzing district that comes alive at night with shisha parties, snake charmers and candlelit eateries. Visit cameldive.com
Snorkelling
For those with less time or who may be nervous about diving to depths of up to 30 metres, snorkelling is an excellent choice. Around the Red Sea are 5,000- to 7,000-year-old reefs abundant with a rainbow of alien-looking corals, anemones, sponges, giant clams and sturgeons, as well as puffer, butterfly, angel, clown and iridescent parrot fish. The water tends to be quite cool in the winter so dive centres such as Camel can provide wetsuits, but all you really need are some flippers, a snorkel and a mask.
Parasailing and cruising
If you fancy an aerial view of Sharm el-Sheikh’s coastline, have a go at parasailing (most of the hotels will be able to help with this). It’s not as scary as you might think. Once you have been taken out to sea by a speedboat, you are attached to a harness that is connected to a parachute so that when the vessel gradually picks up speed you are lifted higher and higher into the sky. After 15 minutes with your legs dangling in the air and a very small boat whizzing around below you, you are winched back in.
Less adrenalin-fuelled trips can be organised around Tiran Island, which separates the Red Sea from the Gulf of Aqaba, or over coral reefs in a glass-bottomed boat.
DESERT EXCURSIONS
Quad biking
Tour company Viator makes it easy to book experiences in and around Sharm, with 2.5 hours of quad biking in the desert starting from £23 per person and hotel pick-ups and drop-offs available. After donning a black and white scarf that one of the local guides will twist around your head and wrap around your face to keep the dust out, you will roar off into the barren landscape like a character from Mad Max, bumping across rocks and sand. You may even spot the odd desiccated camel skeleton en route. After about 7km there is a stop for tea with local Bedouins, before the drive back to base camp. Visit viator.com
Camel riding
Often dressed in flowing white galabiyas, Bedouins may have cars but their lives are led simply – residing in humble lodgings built in the desert, they mainly make a living by selling handmade trinkets, drinks and camel rides to tourists. So not only will clomping off into the desert on a dromedary be a memorable experience, but you will also be directly supporting the local economy.
Viator offers a 3.5-hour sunrise or sunset tour from £29, which will take you to a Bedouin camp where you will be able to smoke shisha, drink herbal tea and make flatbread on an open fire before sitting back on a peaceful cliffside to watch the sky change colour. There is also the option to stay for a traditional dinner in the evening.
Jeep safari
For those with more time, a ten-hour day trip can be arranged to the Sinai desert (ask your hotel about good tour operators), a two-hour drive from Sharm el-Sheikh. Once your jeep has dropped you off, you can explore the dramatic oxidised rock formations on foot, which swirl up and around you in great passages and crevasses.
The sandstone has been gradually eroded by the elements over the centuries to reveal layers of gold, mauve, pink and buttercup yellow, earning it the moniker “the coloured canyon”. You’ll need to wear hiking boots as climbing is unavoidable, but this means you will work up an appetite for lunch at the nearby towns of Nuweiba or Dahab, where you can enjoy a refreshing Sakara beer and a feast of hummus, kebabs, falafel and freshly baked pitta bread.
