'Yalla Sahel' Aims to Turn the North Coast Into Year-Round Destination
The public-private initiative brings together developers, tourism stakeholders and government entities to boost year-round tourism.
A coalition of real estate developers, tourism stakeholders and government entities has launched the Yalla Sahel initiative to position Egypt's North Coast as a year-round destination for tourism, entertainment, investment and residential living.
The initiative promotes the Mediterranean coastline from Alexandria to Matrouh as a single interconnected destination, rather than marketing individual resorts.
The initiative was spearheaded by businessman Naguib Sawiris in partnership with private developers including G Developments, led by CEO Ramy Halaby, and Intro Group, chaired by Ayman Abbas. It is backed by government entities including the Administrative Capital for Urban Development, led by Khaled Abbas.
Yalla Sahel aims to shift the North Coast beyond its traditional two-month summer season by supporting year-round hospitality, entertainment, retail, business and residential communities.
A central part of the initiative is a coordinated calendar of music, sports, cultural and lifestyle events. This summer's programme includes performances by Amr Diab, Elissa, Tamer Ashour, Cairokee and Elyanna, alongside sporting events such as the third edition of the 10K Race the Coast marathon in New Alamein, which is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants from over 30 nationalities. The initiative also supports the Arabian Horse Beauty Championship.
Yalla Sahel is also developing a digital platform that allows visitors to browse and book verified chalets and villas across Ras El Hekma, Sidi Abdel Rahman, Marassi and New Alamein, as well as reserve beach club access and event tickets. The TELLR application will provide real-time information on events, navigation and local services, while Telecom Egypt is supplying the digital infrastructure.
