Luxor4u

Marsa Alam incorporated into Luxor governorate in Upper Egypt.

The city of Marsa Alam – known for its pristine beaches along Egypt's southern Red Sea – will now be a part of Luxor governorate in Upper Egypt, announced Luxor's Governor Tarek Saad Eddine on Wednesday.

The governor said a new highway will be constructed between the two cities to connect Luxor's ancient temples with Marsa Alam's virgin beaches.

He added that the government is also studying the construction of a railway between the two cities.

"Integrating Marsa Alam into Luxor governorate will increase chances for Luxor touristic development and the number of sites visitors [can see]", said Eddine.

According to him, the aim of this step is to create a permanent integration between cultural tourism in Luxor and coastal tourism in Marsa Alam.

The integration will see the area of Luxor governorate increase by 10 times to reach 92 million feddan (38.64 hectares), becoming one of Egypt's largest governorates in terms of area.

The Upper Egyptian city of Luxor is one of the country's most important touristic destinations as its ancient sites and temples add up to a whopping third of the world's total antiquities, according to government figures.

Marsa Alam draws tourists, too, but for different reasons – it's one of the world's top diving destinations and a starting point for safaris as well, due to its key location between the Red Sea and the desert.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/108940.aspx

No, no ,no, it was never the intension of the Mubarak government to ever make Marsa Alam part of the Luxor Governorate, throughout its development it was told it would always be separate special case.

With regards to the train link, this was/is to be linked at either Essna or Edfu, but certainly NOT Luxor, and with reference to anyone who's holiday is in Mrasa Alam, any visit to Luxor will be regarded with the same contempt as that shown by all day visitors from Hurgarda .

This whole idea seems a joke to me, and will go down like a lead balloon with the expensive quality residents and ex - pats in Marsa Alam.

Boost the Tourist figures for "Luxor" Hmmm without them being here!

This surprises me. Marsa Alam is more than a hundred miles from Edfu along a fairly quiet road. The only places of interest on that road are the Temple of Seti I at Kanais and the Centamin Gold-mines. While it would be relatively easy to build a railway across this flat countryside I really do not see the point. If they cannot keep open the routes from Qena to Hurghada and to the Oases this one seems unlikely to succeed.

Brian Yare wrote:This surprises me. Marsa Alam is more than a hundred miles from Edfu along a fairly quiet road. The only places of interest on that road are the Temple of Seti I at Kanais and the Centamin Gold-mines. While it would be relatively easy to build a railway across this flat countryside I really do not see the point. If they cannot keep open the routes from Qena to Hurghada and to the Oases this one seems unlikely to succeed.

This rail route was planned and agreed years ago by the developer of Marsa Alam and the Egyptian government under an agreed arrangement that both parties would pay 50% each towards the total costs. Like you say Brian, it was then unlikely to succeed, but to think that today, the rich people of that area should pay to develop the Luxor Open Air Museum, is a bit rich. Though, when you remember what I wrote on here eighteen months ago, business people in Luxor will see little or nothing from any future such development in Luxor.

Though there again, as I reported on this forum earlier this evening the Property Tax has now come into effect, payment is NOW due and is to be back dated, and the rate is set at four years ago, there will be no re-valuations. That was made very clear by the Egyptian leader, President Sisi yesterday. ( Wednesday).

We will just have to wait and see. I really do not think that any one is qualified, even the Government, to say if it will succeed or fail. Time will tell. Personally I would prefer to see them sorting out the existing infrastructural problems first before embarking on a very expensive 'get rich quick' spending spree that if you take into consideration the problems that just in the Luxor area are suffering, would or could increase the misery when they suddenly realize they have fallen short of the cash needed. More unfinished projects to blight an even larger area.

The usual negative comments.

I commend the Governor for working hard on this one. It gives
Marsa Alam temples and Luxor its beaches - attractive to tourists of
the future as a dual-centre vacation in competition with an increasingly
unattractive Hurghada.

Not sure about the railway, but the express highway shouldn't take long -
I think Governor Tarek will make sure of this.

Money & acumen permitting, I can see a future in a 2-destination holiday between Marsa Alam & Luxor.

Both areas suffer from an absence of night life which is why Hurghada will always maintain its strength as a destination.

I can't see many wanting to spend as much as a week in Luxor unless coupled with a cruise and Marsa Alam is pretty well sea/diving only. A fast link between the two seems natural.

Both destinations have international airports within reach of Europe.....just a lot of "faith" required

So 4 or 5 hour by road, 5 hours by rail, or 1 hour flying? I still have my doubts about the commercial needs for this route.

The Marsa Alam connection at the Luxor bridge has been under construction for about 5 years. They lowered the road on the north end rather than raising the bridge. The donkeys must have needed more room for their hooves rather than their ears!

Brian Yare wrote:So 4 or 5 hour by road, 5 hours by rail, or 1 hour flying? I still have my doubts about the commercial needs for this route.

The Marsa Alam connection at the Luxor bridge has been under construction for about 5 years. They lowered the road on the north end rather than raising the bridge. The donkeys must have needed more room for their hooves rather than their ears!

Not sure of the exact distance but surely it would be less than 4/5 hours? It's only 3.5 hours to Luxor from Hurghada in a car.

Assuming a straight high quality road could be built between Luxor and Marsa Alam the 150 miles could, in theory, be done in 2-3 hours

Bearded Brian wrote:Assuming a straight high quality road could be built between Luxor and Marsa Alam the 150 miles could, in theory, be done in 2-3 hours

And you could do the return to Marsa Alam in a "Ferrari" .....1 hour....or 5 days on the one horsepower model

There is already a road to Edfu from Marsa Alam, that takes about three and a half hours, with improvements, it would reduce that journey to less than three. As I have already said a rail link was planned also to either Edfu or Essna, but certainly not to Luxor. These plans were set down with the developers of Marsa Alam and the then Egyptian Government, more than 10 years ago.

There is now obviously to be a political battle between the Luxor and Asswan Governorates, though at the end of the day, I can promise those who think new business will come from that area to Luxor, the answer is no.

To think that property tax collection in Marsa Alam will go into the making of the Luxor Open Air Museum, which will be much high than the average home in Luxor, is a joke, and those bills will be dropping in very soon, and they are back dated, so prepare for the shock.

SO reading between the Lines, Luxor is set to become a day trippers paradise, and everyone out of the place before Sunset, in time to get back to their coastal hotels in time for the all inclusive evening meal.

Still, these series of developments could well be of assistance to the traveler to Luxor, which is nice.
Maybe those ex -pat's wishing to head back to Blighty every once in a while may have more options too...

My friend found a more recent report on the tax, it stated that properties under two million Le in value will not be taxed, [the last report stated that it would be 500,000Le] Properties that had only one person living in it will not be taxed. But the full report was concerning Egyptians only, no mention of foreign owned dwellings or business premises. Business premises would by taxed by the square meter.

How are the buildings going to be assessed for tax, will someone come round and value them or do you have to do it yourself. If you do bet there's not a lot of buildings over 2 mill.

Forgot about this, some time ago I was told that unfinished buildings, i.e. those with bits of metal sticking out of the roof were not liable for tax. That's why a lot of the buildings remain unfinshed.

carrie wrote:How are the buildings going to be assessed for tax, will someone come round and value them or do you have to do it yourself. If you do bet there's not a lot of buildings over 2 mill.

Exactly Carrie, and that is why the tax IS and will remain at 500,000 LE. Single person occupancy will be exempt, if Egyptian, but I have already written about this, earlier this week on this forum.

The president has already passed this through, and collection is to be back dated to 2013, coff - up letters will arrive soon. Mosques, churches, hotels, non-profit making education establishments, etc are exempt,..........but the awaja is not.

carrie wrote:Forgot about this, some time ago I was told that unfinished buildings, i.e. those with bits of metal sticking out of the roof were not liable for tax. That's why a lot of the buildings remain unfinshed.

Oh yes they are liable for tax.

My husband and I travelled by private car a coupe of months ago, Luxor/Marsa Alam/Luxor. There is already a new-ish, but only partially built rail line, visible from the road.