Egypt has been named the second-best scuba diving destination for the third time in a row, according to Dive Travel magazine’s 2021 poll.
The magazine said Egypt retains the second place spot it has held each year since 2019.
It added that Egypt “has taken the position with a significantly larger percentage of the vote than at any other time in the past.”
“From a total of 108 different destinations – after being collated into countries, that is – Egypt took just under 17 per cent of the overall vote, more than half of Indonesia’s 30 per cent,” according to the magazine.
The magazine said Egypt’s success is remarkable given that prior to the pandemic, the nation was still recovering from a massive drop in tourism over the preceding four years.
“The country’s success in recent years is partly due to the outstanding loyalty of its visitors who, year after year, return to diving hotspots in Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, Dahab and Marsa Alam – plus a wide range of excellent liveaboard itineraries – to dive in the deep blue Red Sea,” it said.
“Egypt has a mixture of everything from entry-level easy to advanced and challenging, slack currents to high-energy drifts, macro critters to pelagic visitors, all just a short hop from most of mainland Europe.”
It added that part of Egypt’s attraction is undoubtedly its convenient location – but only a part, the rest belongs to the environment and the well-oiled machine of its scuba diving business.
The winners of the 2021 DIVE Travel Awards are the result of a poll covering 108 different destinations, 245 liveaboards and almost 750 different dive centers and resorts, the magazine explained.
