Vasily Bulshuf, a 46-year-old tourist from Poland who suffered from Psoriasis, is covered in black sand on Safaga beach in Safaga, Egypt, May 5, 2023. Boasting rich natural healing resources such as a suitable climate, mineral springs, sulfur water, and hot sand, Egypt is attracting an increasing number of tourists who prefer to travel not only for leisure but also for medical purposes.(Photo by Ahmad Afyouny/Xinhua)
by Marwa Yahya, Ahmed Afyouny
SAFAGA, Egypt, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Boasting rich natural healing resources such as a suitable climate, mineral springs, sulfur water, and hot sand, Egypt is attracting an increasing number of tourists who prefer to travel not only for leisure but also for medical purposes.
The country's most renowned Red Sea resorts have been preparing for the medical tourism season lasting from April to June, and Safaga, a town off the coast, is no exception.
According to Hany El-Nazer, a dermatologist, Safaga is one of the largest worldwide medical centers for curing psoriasis.
The salinity of the Safaga water is 30 percent higher than that of the Mediterranean Sea, making it helpful in treating several uncurable skin diseases, explained El-Nazer.
He mentioned that the presence of coral reefs in Safaga water helps to cure psoriasis. These coral reefs require high water salinity ranging from 32 to 42 parts per thousand and they are in continuous dissolution, making the water rich in unique minerals.
In addition to moderate temperature and warm water in the April-June period, the black sand with rich natural minerals in Safaga also lures European tourists who seek natural treatment for some diseases.
To attract more tourists, hotels in Safaga even segment the beach for those who favor desert sand baths as a treatment method, as well as arrange medical teams and assistive devices for them.
Vasily Bulshuf, a 46-year-old tourist from Poland, is taking a sand and sunshine bath, burying himself up to his neck on the beach. It's his second year to travel here for medical purposes.
After a long period of only depending on traditional medicine, Bulshuf said therapeutic tourism helped in solving 80 percent of his health problem which he said was "an incredible result."
Waheed Zantay, an Egyptian aged over 50, came to Safaga for skin disease treatment at the advice of his doctor.
"I felt remarkable improvement after receiving 15 sessions in a month of sleeping in black sand and tanks full of high-salinity water," Zantay said.
Besides Safaga, Egypt is rich with other medical tourism spots like Bahariya Oasis, Kharga Oasis, and Siwa Oasis, which are surrounded by mountains, sulfur water, and mineral springs that are helpful to heal rheumatic diseases, skin diseases, and gastritis, according to Ahmed Amer, a tourism expert.
Noting that few of Egypt's more than 1,300 sulfur springs were fully developed, Amer called for the establishment of backup facilities around the medical tourism spots, so as to attract patients and further boost the industry. ■
