The Chamber of Tourist Establishments has called on its members in South Sinai Governorate to comply with environmental protection law and rules, and to implement the executive measures decided by the state, represented by the Ministry of Environment, banning the use of single-use plastic bags in all tourist establishments and restaurants in South Sinai Governorate, due to their negative impact on wildlife and marine life and the environmental pollution they cause when disposed of.
The chamber said in a statement today that it had received a letter from the First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism and head of the Hotel and Tourist Establishments Sector, Abdel Fattah El-Assy, stressing that tourist establishments must follow and implement the ban on single-use plastic bags, in implementation of the national presidential initiative to ban plastic bags in all commercial and hotel outlets in South Sinai Governorate, similar to what was implemented in Hurghada in the Red Sea Governorate.
Plastic is banned in all food and beverage activities in restaurants, such as plastic knives, spoons and forks, cups, plates and straws in restaurants, as well as on tourist boats (safari, excursion, daily) in South Sinai Governorate.
The chamber noted that tourist establishments in Hurghada have adjusted to the new measures banning single-use plastic bags and have worked to find alternatives to these items in serving their products to customers.
The chamber stressed that members of its general assembly support all of the state's moves and efforts to preserve the environment, noting that the relationship between tourism and the environment is one of delicate balance between development and environmental protection, and that according to the 1980 Manila Declaration, tourism needs should not be met in a way that harms the social and economic interests of the population of tourist areas, the environment, or natural resources and historical and cultural sites, which are a major attraction for tourism. Tourism is also the first sector to benefit from an unpolluted environment and its preservation for the sustainable development of natural resources.
