Over the past decade, changes to the law have allowed spots within Egypt’s national parks to be used for commercial projects. Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said projects within protected areas including national parks surged from 10 in 2016 to 150 in 2024, with revenue increasing by 1,900 per cent.

Egypt’s Environmental Affairs Agency initially offered the operation of Ras Hankorab for tourism use to investors, albeit under strict conditions. However, responsibility has now moved to a government fund, the minister said in a recent presentation on Wadi el-Gemal. She declined to comment further.

Worried conservationist groups have filed an appeal with a state prosecutor, alleging development is not meeting protection laws and would damage a public resource.

Locals say they have been sidelined. Many once made a living from low-key eco-tourism but are now effectively barred from the beach.

“I used to take my kids there for free. Now, I have to pay 250 Egyptian pounds ($5) just to enter,” said Mohamed Saleh, a tribal elder. “They didn’t consult us. They didn’t hire us. They just took over our land.”

Fouad and other Egyptian officials argue that eco-tourism and investment can coexist. She defended development of the beach and Wadi el-Gemal as a “controlled expansion” ensuring sustainability while attracting revenue.