ENTRUST was subcontracted by Chemonics International Inc. to conduct research on Tourism in the Southern Red Sea region in Egypt.  This assignment will support the LIFE Red Sea (LRS) Project in developing a plan for new tourism products in the Southern Red Sea market that meets the growing interest for soft-adventure tourism products in Egypt. The objective of the assignment is to provide benchmarks for the economic impact of current tourism-related activities in the SRS region, in terms of income and foreign exchange generated, the leakages associated with those income flows, and the number of jobs created with the SRS region vs. the impact of sustainable tourism models.

The focus of the program is to meet economic, social and environmental objectives by positioning the Southern Red Sea area as a world-class, sustainable, ecotourism destination.  The project has four components; job creation & infrastructure, sustainable ecotourism, conservation management, and cross-cutting concerns.  ENTRUST’s senior management provided leadership and advice on private sector and SME development to provide sustainable income and investment opportunities for the local population, as well as a range of financial and non-financial support services to shore up this effort.