The terrace.
Port Ghalib poised to open hotel expansion
01 February 2006
Major progress has been made on Egypt’s pioneering build-operate-transfer (BOT) project, the Port Ghalib tourism scheme. Gulf Construction looks at the latest developments on the resort.
Port Ghalib – MA Kharafi Group’s $1.2 billion masterplanned international marina that is fast taking shape off the Red Sea Coral Coast – is set to open a new 80-room expansion at its first resort hotel, which has only recently been inaugurated.
The Kuwait-based developer announced the opening of Port Ghalib's first resort hotel – the Coral Beach Diving Hotel - a 200-room resort hotel managed by Millennium Resorts and Hotels last December.
The hotel’s location right in the heart of the Port Ghalib international marina and only a five minutes drive from the Marsa Alam International Airport, allows diving enthusiasts the most rapid transit time possible from “air travel arrival to being in the water”, says a spokesman for the developer.
“The Coral Beach Diving Hotel has been designed with direct assistance from some of the world’s leading diving centre professionals from South Africa, the UK and the US. The special instruction pool with its underwater classroom and viewing windows adds a whole new dimension to the classroom portion diving lessons and instruction. The Coral Beach Diving Hotel’s collaboration with the UK’s Emperor’s Divers has ensured the center’s rental equipment, oxygen-filling systems, diving boats, and professional instructor are all world-class,” says the spokesman.
The Coral Beach Diving Hotel comprises of 115 double/twin rooms, two double/twin rooms designed for the disabled, three suites, and two apartments. The hotel also features a health club/gymnasium, swimming pool, and a number of food and beverage outlets, in addition to its main restaurant.
Port Ghalib
Being built along an 18 km stretch of pristine shoreline, the whole concept of the Port Ghalib project comes under the control of one master developer /investor, the Al-Kharafi Group.
“The project is being planned by some of the world’s top specialists to ensure an integrated development with careful attention paid to urban planning issues such as infrastructure, architectural style, building control, phasing and governance,” says the spokesman.
The group has engaged some of the world's finest design consultants in the creation of Port Ghalib including: Francoise Spoerry and EDAW for master and urban planning;
Sogreah for marina planning and design; and WAT&G, North Point and Stauch Vorster for architectural designs.
“Sogreah consultants – famed for designing harbour development schemes throughout the world over the past 40 years – has designed Port Ghalib International Marina and has supervised the construction of phase one of its development,” says the spokesman.
Components
Port Ghalib has been promoted as an integrated resort community, providing a highly animated town centre; extensive marine and sports facilities; and a world-class marina.
The massive development also offers a residential area that is spread over a number of villages: Port Ghalib Waterfront, Coral Reef Village, Canals Village, Ridge Line Quarter, Tower Village, Wadi Ghalib Village, Lagoon Valley, Highland Golf estates and a VIP compound.
The residential villages include commercial centres, community facilities, sports clubs, entertainment, and medical facilities, where Port Ghalib home-owners can enjoy world-class amenities in a stress-free environment throughout the year.
• Port Ghalib waterfront: Covering an area of 539,000 sq m, it includes three integrated hotels operated by Sun International (five and four stars) in addition to three hotels (four and three stars), a conference centre, marina corniche, entertainment island and residential compound;
• Coral reef village: Covering an area of 588,000 sq m, this component includes five-themed hotels, luxury villas, time-share villas, sports centre, and commercial and retail centres;
• Canals village: Covers an area of 902,000 sq m and includes themed villas, art park, shopping mall and a four-star hotel;
• Ridge Line quarter: Covers an area of 411,000 sq m and includes residential properties overlooking the marina and lagoons, a mix of public and private courtyards, commercial centre, hospital and community facilities;
• Tower village: Covers an area of 425,000 sq m and includes residential buildings, sports club, retail centre, administration building, two hotels and a nursery;
• Wadi Ghalib village: Covers an area of 331,000 sq m includes a residential zone, commercial and entertainment areas, time-share bungalows and an information centre;
• Lagoon valley: Spreading over an area of 13,840,000 sq m, it includes a 250,000 sq m lagoon, lagoon valley estates, resort suites, six lagoon view hotels and a spa, Desert Park, camping site and commercial centres;
• Highland golf estates: Covering an area of 1,040,000 sq m, it serves an 18-hole golf course and includes the Highland golf estates, Golf hotel, Fairway homes and timeshare villas; and
• VIP compound: Covers an area of 730,000 sq m and includes royal residences, a botanical garden hotel, lagoon hotel, VIP villas, family ranches, golf residences and commercial/entertainment area.
Commenting on the help received from the Egyptian Government, the spokesman says: “The government has been very supportive especially with the airport’s BOT (build-operate-transfer) concession contract, which was awarded to M A Kharafi Group for 40 years, and with the improvement proposals for Marsa Alam.
“In addition, the authorities have recently implemented new fees and regulations to encourage foreign yachts to visit Egypt through licensed Egyptian ports of entry.
“Port Ghalib Marina Management is also currently finalising a special agreement with the tourism, transportation, environment and protectorates Ministries that will allow international yachts who have only checked through Port Ghalib marina to visit the nearby marine parks free of charge. The implementation of the new fees and regulations has encouraged foreign yachts to visit Egypt through licensed ports of entry including Port Ghalib International Marina,” he adds.
Port Ghalib now awaits the completion and opening of a major component of the development: Sun International's Budours Palace and the Sahara Sun resorts which will bring 950 rooms on the market when they are launched in early 2007.
“With these hotel rooms and a 1,500-capacity conference centre and165 shops, boutiques, and galleries and 22 cafes, restaurants, bars, clubs and bistros of Port Ghalib’s Old Port Suq and Corniche Complex – the development promises to become Egypt’s first high-quality international level destination resort community on par with destinations like Marbella- Puerto Banus, Costasmeralda, and Port Grimaud,” says the spokesman.
These hotels are due to open in the first quarter of 2007.
Marsa Alam Airport
Meanwhile, Marsa Alam Airport – constructed as a part of the project to create a mega Red Sea resort area at Port Ghalib – is currently being expanded to boost its handling capacity from 600 to 1,200 passengers per hour.
The airport, built in 2001 to transform the fishing village at Marsa Alam into a world-class tourist destination, is currently under an extensive expansion programme including the terminal building and the runway.
Work is under way simultaneously at both the runway and the terminal building, which will upgrade the airport’s handling capacity from five aircraft per hour to 10 when this expansion phase is fully functional in 2007.
The airport is designed by the Netherlands Airport Consultants and has Engineering Consultants Group (ECG) as the engineers for the project while the service provision is the responsibility of Caltex-Emaas-Iberotel.
The new Marsa Alam International Airport is the first privately-owned and operated international commercial airport in Egypt and is the first airport in aviation history operating under a complete BOT system. EMAK Marsa Alam for Management and Operation of Airports, a subsidiary of the M A Kharafi Group of Kuwait, had successfully negotiated the 40-year BOT concession agreement with the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority. The new airport is operated under a separate agreement by Aeroports de Paris.
The new airport, just 3 km away from the luxury resort, has a 3-km-long runway with a 45 m breadth and is capable of handling Boeing 747 jets. Currently, the terminal building has a total area of 6,000 sq m and after the first phase expansion this will increase to around 12,000 sq m.
