Today, the Sinai has several attractions that lure foreign
tourists. For instance, the southeastern city of Dahab offers
excellent scuba diving. Farther south is Sharm El Sheikh,
which was once a sleepy fishing community, but today is one
of the most popular tourist destinations in Egypt. To its south
is the Ras Mohamed National Park, one of the only such parks
found in this region. All of these tourist attractions were pro-
moted by the Egyptian government after the last Israelis left
the Sinai in 1982. The eastern and southeastern coasts of Sinai
are therefore important revenue generators for Egypt and
these regions have been declared protected areas. In particular,
the Nabq protected area is one of the largest in the region.