{"id":17815,"date":"2026-10-15T08:43:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/?p=17815"},"modified":"2026-10-23T22:17:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T20:17:57","slug":"matrouh-beaches-access-fees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/matrouh-beaches-access-fees\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Owns Matrouh\u2019s Shore? Beach and Gate Fees Restrict Access to the Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the start of summer 2026, complaints from residents of Matrouh Governorate followed one another on social media about being prevented from entering beaches they were used to using, after their management or exploitation was assigned to investors. The complainants considered that restricting access to the sea generates a feeling of exclusion, marginalisation and anger, while MPs for the governorate deny that public beaches have been closed entirely. This report documents testimonies and documents dating back to that season, in which the term of one of the contracts for the exploitation of its gates ended on 30 September, and it does not present the prices cited as a tariff in force in October.<\/p>\n<div class=\"z3-article-separator\" role=\"separator\" aria-label=\"Section divider\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 140 4269 130\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M120 211H4149\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#7e7e7e\" stroke-width=\"10\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><\/svg><\/div>\n<h2>Beach Entry and Service Rental: Different Bills<\/h2>\n<p>According to local sources who spoke about summer 2026 prices, the entry fee for Blue Beach in the El-Abyad area was EGP 50 per person, and the price of renting an umbrella and four chairs EGP 250. At the Armed Forces beach in El-Abyad, the entry charge cited by the sources was EGP 175 per person, including the umbrella and chairs. As for Al-Gharam Beach, the sources reported a price of EGP 120 per person including services, and EGP 260 for the minimum of two persons. Between the two figures there is a difference of EGP 20 from the product of the individual price multiplied by two, the reason for which the sources did not explain; therefore, they cannot be treated as a uniform arithmetical tariff, nor can it be asserted that a specific additional fee exists.<\/p>\n<p>In the Cleopatra area, the sources cited prices of about EGP 180, without specifying whether this figure is for an individual&#8217;s entry or for renting equipment. The entry fees they reported for Al-Bosphorus Beach were EGP 100 per person, and for Al-Lagoon Beach, which belongs to the Armed Forces, EGP 100 per person. As for Rommel Lagoon, which belongs to the Armed Forces, the sources spoke of rental categories for an umbrella and four chairs starting at EGP 150 in the rear area overlooking the sea, rising to EGP 200 in the front area and EGP 250 in the &#8220;Turquoise Sea&#8221; area. The price of renting the umbrella and chairs at the public Rommel Beach and the public Rommel Lagoon was about EGP 180, according to the same accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Riviera Beau Site Beach charges a fee of EGP 250 per person covering the use of the umbrella and chairs, while the entry fee for Umm El-Rakham Beach is EGP 10 per person, and the price of renting an umbrella and three chairs reaches EGP 180, whereas the entry fee for most beaches in the El-Abyad area on the New Corniche is EGP 10 per person, and the prices of renting the umbrella and chairs range between EGP 150 and EGP 180.<\/p>\n<p>According to the local sources, the entry fee for Agiba Beach was EGP 15 per person, and the price of the umbrella and chairs about EGP 350, with the possibility of negotiating it down in some cases to EGP 300 or EGP 250. At Marassina Beach, entry was EGP 10 and the cost of an umbrella and four chairs EGP 400. The sources cited a fee of EGP 15 to enter the Cleopatra Shrine, and about EGP 180 to rent the umbrella and chairs at Al-Awam Beach, while the entry fee for El-Abyad Lagoon was EGP 20 per person, with the umbrella and chairs rented for EGP 350. These are prices reported by local sources during the season, in which the services and units of calculation vary, and they are not a uniform official list for all the governorate&#8217;s beaches.<\/p>\n<div class=\"z3-article-separator\" role=\"separator\" aria-label=\"Section divider\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 140 4269 130\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M120 211H4149\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#7e7e7e\" stroke-width=\"10\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><\/svg><\/div>\n<h2>Six Gates under a Summer Contract Worth EGP 3.61 Million<\/h2>\n<p>The complaints are not limited to beach entry fees or the rental of their services, but include passing through the gates of the New Corniche in the El-Abyad Beach area. One resident, Alaa El-Beltagy, complained that EGP 15 was collected for his car and EGP 15 for each person while he was passing along the Corniche road, although he says he did not enter a beach or use its services. He explained that when he asked about the legal basis, he was shown a letter awarding an auction for the exploitation of the El-Abyad Beach gates. His account of the collection incident remains the testimony of its owner, while the letter published below sets out the fees, the contractual period and the limits of what the document proves.<\/p>\n<p>The complainant calls on the Governor of Matrouh to disclose the legal basis or administrative decision that permits the collection of these fees, and to state whether the New Corniche road is considered a public road or has become part of a beach zone on which entry fees are imposed, and to take the necessary measures if the collection of fees from passers-by who do not benefit from the beaches or the services provided at them proves to be unlawful.<\/p>\n<p>A letter issued by the Contracts Department of the Marsa Matrouh District and City, dated 30 June 2026, shows the completion of the procedures for awarding a limited auction for the exploitation of the El-Abyad Beach gates during the summer 2026 season, which include the gates of the New Corniche entrance, Al-Marwa, Al-Aseel, Arous El-Abyad, Zumurrudat El-Abyad and Lu&#8217;lu&#8217;at El-Abyad.<\/p>\n<p>According to the letter, signed by Staff Major General Mohamed Abdullah Ragab, head of the Marsa Matrouh District and City, the auction, whose session was held on 29 June 2026, was awarded to Hamza Saleh Yacoub, for a total of EGP 3,610,000, in return for the exploitation of the gates from 30 June until 30 September 2026, subject to compliance with the conditions and specifications set out in the tender booklet. The award value does not mean that the same amount was actually collected from those passing through the gates; it is the consideration stated in the letter for exploiting them during the specified period.<\/p>\n<p>The letter set the entry fees charged at the gates at EGP 15 per person, EGP 15 per private car, EGP 25 per microbus and EGP 30 per bus.<\/p>\n<p>The Marsa Matrouh District and City also invited the winner of the auction, Hamza Saleh Yacoub, to attend the Contracts Department to complete the final procedures relating to the contract, according to what was stated in the letter issued by the department.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17812\" src=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-2.jpg\" alt=\"Letter awarding the El-Abyad Beach gates, dated 30 June 2026\" width=\"820\" height=\"1182\" style=\"display:block;margin:0 auto;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-2.jpg 820w, https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-2-208x300.jpg 208w, https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-2-710x1024.jpg 710w, https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-2-768x1107.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"text-align:center\">Letter awarding the exploitation of the El-Abyad Beach gates, dated 30 June 2026, for the period from 30 June to 30 September 2026. Source: the document reviewed by Zawia3.<\/p>\n<div class=\"z3-article-separator\" role=\"separator\" aria-label=\"Section divider\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 140 4269 130\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M120 211H4149\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#7e7e7e\" stroke-width=\"10\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><\/svg><\/div>\n<h2>Deprived of Seeing the Sea<\/h2>\n<p>Residents&#8217; complaints are linked to a wider phenomenon concerning the allocation of beaches or the offering of their exploitation under the usufruct system. The North West Coast has seen investment projects that turned parts of its waterfront into resorts, hotels and luxury residential compounds, as part of a policy of attracting tourism investment, while restrictions on access to these areas draw criticism over the spaces available to the public. Not every case of assigning management means a transfer of ownership of the beach; legal ownership differs from the right of exploitation and from the actual conditions of entry.<\/p>\n<p>The usufruct system is used to grant investors the right to use beaches or land, for a seasonal period or for years in return for fees, without transferring ownership, in order to provide recreational\/tourism services, and some public beaches on the North West Coast are offered under this system by the Urban Communities Authority and the Coast Development Agency.<\/p>\n<p>Mohamed Ibrahim, a resident of Marsa Matrouh Governorate, affirms that the imposition of fees on some roads and beaches has caused discontent among residents and holidaymakers alike, considering that the governorate has historically been the summer outlet for broad segments of Egyptians, especially members of the middle class, workers and employees coming from governorates such as Alexandria, Beheira and Cairo, as well as visitors from the governorates of Upper Egypt, because of the low cost of a summer holiday compared with other tourist destinations.<\/p>\n<p>He tells Zawia3: &#8220;The high cost of spending a holiday in Matrouh, which may reach about EGP 25,000 a week for a small family, along with the multiplicity of fees imposed, makes the visitor feel as though he is entering another country&#8221;, explaining that citizens begin their trip by paying fees on entering the governorate, then other fees on the Corniche road, in addition to the high prices of goods and services, even though the level of services, as he describes it, is not commensurate with this cost.<\/p>\n<p>He points out that much of the accommodation still relies on furnished units with old fittings, and that water and electricity cuts recur, while restaurant and caf\u00e9 prices are calculated at tourist rates even though the level of service is ordinary, calling for this issue to be addressed in a way that strikes a balance between tourism investment and citizens&#8217; right to access the beaches.<\/p>\n<p>He calls for allocating areas and services that suit different social segments, so that distinguished places are available for those with high incomes, alongside free or low-cost beaches and parks for the middle class and those on limited incomes, as the main outlet for Egyptian families.<\/p>\n<p>He explains that the extension of paid zones along the coast reduces citizens&#8217; chances of reaching the sea without fees, even for those who use their own cars, considering that the continuation of this situation may deepen citizens&#8217; sense of injustice and resentment, since providing public outlets such as beaches and parks is a social and psychological necessity that helps relieve the pressures of life.<\/p>\n<p>Nidal El-Kady, a resident of Matrouh, believes that the expansion of assigning the management of beaches to investors raises a problem in a governorate that has suffered from a shortage of basic services, including lighting and drinking water, while it was, as he describes it, distinguished by the cleanliness of its environment. He calls for investment to be directed to sectors that bring a direct benefit to residents instead of crowding them out of their traditional sources of livelihood, considering that this crowding out increases unemployment and discontent. This is an assessment offered by the source of the effects of investment, not the result of a statistical measurement of the unemployment rate or of the reasons for its change.<\/p>\n<p>He affirms to Zawia3 that the governorate has investment opportunities that can be exploited to establish productive and industrial projects and to reclaim land, creating new job opportunities for young people, instead of focusing on exploiting existing resources, calling for the procedures for genuine investment to be eased and for utilities to be connected to projects, in a way that contributes to achieving economic development and serving citizens.<\/p>\n<p>For his part, El-Sayed Noureddine, a resident of Matrouh, does not oppose the idea of tourism investment in the governorate, noting that the tourist villages have helped provide job opportunities for the people of Matrouh, as well as for workers from other governorates, but he stresses the need to strike a balance between investment and citizens&#8217; right to access the beaches.<\/p>\n<p>He tells Zawia3: &#8220;The state should allocate public beaches between the tourist villages that allow the people of the coastal cities and villages to use the sea without restrictions, because the extension of tourist villages along the coast has deprived many residents, especially those living south of the international road, of reaching the beach or even seeing it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He added that regulating fees and the administrative procedures relating to entry falls within the powers of the governorate with the aim of improving services, but he called for the circumstances of Matrouh&#8217;s residents to be taken into account when applying these procedures, expressing his displeasure at what he described as the feeling of some residents that they are treated as strangers in their own governorate, even though they are the most deserving of benefiting from its natural resources.<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>&#8220;The state should allocate public beaches between the tourist villages that allow the people of the coastal cities and villages to use the sea without restrictions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>El-Sayed Noureddine, a resident of Matrouh<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>A study published by the Public Policy Center at the American University in Cairo in August 2024, citing data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, presents 271 private beaches with a length of 617,504 metres, compared with 97 public beaches with a length of 497,247 metres in 2022; that is, 368 beaches in total. The figure of 304 beaches, with a total length of nearly 689.15 kilometres, refers to 2021, when 229 private and 75 public beaches were recorded. The study gives an approximate comparison between 106 million people and the public lengths: about one metre for every 210 people, or nearly 213 people by direct calculation from the figures cited. This is an illustrative ratio in the context of the study published in 2024, and not a count of the population in 2022 or a measurement of the actual density on the beaches. <a href=\"https:\/\/aps.aucegypt.edu\/ar\/articles\/1418\/public-beaches-eroded-by-investments-in-egypt\">Source<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate analysis published by ARIJ in October 2025, based on 2024 data, the share of private beaches reached about 88%, compared with 14% in 2013. The analysis documented the addition of 478 beach tourist villages between 2019 and 2024, bringing the number to 562 villages. These percentages relate to a time series and a scope of data different from the earlier 2021 and 2022 figures; it is therefore not correct to merge them into a single total or to present them as an exclusive measurement of Matrouh&#8217;s beaches. <a href=\"https:\/\/arij.net\/investigations\/beach-privatization-Egypt\/thenorth-coast.html\">Source<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"z3-article-separator\" role=\"separator\" aria-label=\"Section divider\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 140 4269 130\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M120 211H4149\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#7e7e7e\" stroke-width=\"10\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><\/svg><\/div>\n<h2>Loss of Livelihoods<\/h2>\n<p>In the same context, lawyer Mamdouh Ragheb El-Darbali, former head of the Matrouh Bar Association, says that seasonal earning opportunities for young people have declined sharply. He explains that young people who, over past decades, were used to renting out chairs and umbrellas and preparing drinks and food and selling them to holidaymakers lost their sources of livelihood during the five years preceding his testimony, with the expansion of the allocation of coastal land and the offering of the exploitation of beaches in auctions. He describes the unemployment situation as &#8220;unprecedented&#8221;, and says it has become rare to find an open public beach. These are the source&#8217;s descriptions and estimates, which are countered later by parliamentary accounts denying that all the beaches have been closed.<\/p>\n<p>El-Darbali believes that the loss of job opportunities may push some young people to break the law and become involved in smuggling to Libya or the drug trade, and he warns of a sense of marginalisation and diminished citizenship. The material does not contain data proving a causal relationship between the beach contracts and these activities, nor may this opinion be generalised to the governorate&#8217;s young people; rather, it reflects the source&#8217;s fears about the consequences of the loss of income.<\/p>\n<p>Matrouh Governorate extends over about 166,563 square kilometres and includes eight main districts, while the city of Marsa Matrouh is its capital and one of its largest population centres. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.almashhad.com\/article\/773112298002792-News\/498777942294198-%D8%AA%D8%B1%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A8-%D9%85%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%AB-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B9%D8%AF%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%A7%D9%86\/\">population list published on the Al-Mashhad website<\/a> gives a figure of 554,581 people for the governorate, approximately 0.5% of Egypt&#8217;s population, but the list does not specify an independent recording date for this figure, even though the page was updated later. The <a href=\"https:\/\/mped.gov.eg\/adminpanel\/sharedfiles\/f_%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AD.pdf\">Ministry of Planning document issued in December 2020<\/a>, on the other hand, clearly specifies 481,718 people on 1 January 2020. These numbers are therefore to be read as dated data or data reported from their sources, not as a real-time count for summer 2026. As for the figure of 255,401 people circulated for the city of Marsa Matrouh, the sources do not give a clear date for it that would allow it to be compared with the governorate&#8217;s population or used as a current estimate.<\/p>\n<p>For his part, Eng. Saeed El-Hafyan, former head of the local council in Matrouh Governorate, believes that the expansion of beach leasing after development works has reduced the areas available free of charge, and that some investors impose entry fees. He describes the public beach as &#8220;an acquired right of citizens that may not be infringed&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>El-Hafyan affirms that maximising the governorates&#8217; financial resources should not come at the expense of basic rights, and describes &#8220;blocking the sea from people&#8221; as a grave mistake. He calls for free spaces to be preserved, with the possibility of imposing moderate fees in other areas, considering that preventing those who cannot afford it from reaching the sea is &#8220;a crime complete in all its elements&#8221;. This expression is the source&#8217;s description in protest, and is not presented as a judicial ruling or as proof that the elements of a specific crime have been met.<\/p>\n<p>He tells Zawia3: &#8220;Matrouh Governorate suffers from accumulated service problems, including drinking water cuts, high prices and declining services, and the local administration should focus on planning projects and improving services, not on searching for financial resources by imposing new fees&#8221;, calling on the governor to go down to the beaches in person and listen to citizens&#8217; complaints instead of being content with desk reports.<\/p>\n<p>He affirms that he does not oppose attracting investment or creating job opportunities, provided that investment is kept separate from the protection of the public right, proposing in this regard the re-exploitation, under the usufruct system, of wide areas of coastal land held by agencies and camps, in favour of major tourism and development projects that could achieve an economic return for the governorate and provide job opportunities, without restricting citizens&#8217; use of the public beaches.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, MP Heiba Idris Heiba, member of the House of Representatives for Matrouh Governorate, tells Zawia3 that the governorate offers some beaches for investment, and that the parties that obtain the usufruct right to them are &#8220;to a large extent people from the governorate&#8221;, within the framework of the beach-offering system the governorate follows.<\/p>\n<p>The MP considers the complaints circulating about all of the governorate&#8217;s beaches having turned into fee-paying beaches &#8220;inaccurate&#8221;, affirming that &#8220;not all beaches are subject to this system, and a large number of public beaches are still open to citizens&#8221;.<\/p>\n<div class=\"z3-article-separator\" role=\"separator\" aria-label=\"Section divider\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 140 4269 130\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M120 211H4149\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#7e7e7e\" stroke-width=\"10\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><\/svg><\/div>\n<h2>Land Allocation: Who Owns and Who Exploits?<\/h2>\n<p>In recent years, Matrouh Governorate has seen a series of presidential decrees on reallocating wide areas of land among state bodies, to implement development and strategic projects on the North West Coast. In May 2025, Presidential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elwatannews.com\/news\/details\/8084408\">Decree<\/a> No. 278 of 2025 was issued, which provided for the allocation of two large areas to Matrouh Governorate for establishing development projects, after transferring their affiliation from land that had been allocated to the Armed Forces under an earlier decree, No. 226 of 2023. The decree included a plot of land with an area of about 6,945.36 feddans (29.18 million square metres), and another with an area of 8,624.22 feddans (36.23 million square metres), and it also allocated a third plot with an area of about 8.47 feddans (35,570 square metres) to the Ministry of Transport for use in the route of a diesel train line, with the Armed Forces retaining the land of strategic importance located within those areas.<\/p>\n<p>This was preceded by the issuance of Presidential <a href=\"http:\/\/www.alamiria.com\/Sec\/TashTxt?id=z0fmG9Bsq8A=\">Decree<\/a> No. 55 of 2024 in February 2024, which allocated an area of nearly 170.8 million square metres in the Ras El-Hekma area of Matrouh Governorate to the New Urban Communities Authority, to establish the new city of Ras El-Hekma, after transferring it from land owned by the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, Presidential <a href=\"https:\/\/kadyonline.com\/%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B1%D9%82%D9%85-9-%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D8%A9-2023-%D8%A8%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B5-%D8%A3\/\">Decree<\/a> No. 9 of 2023 was issued, which allocated about 466.64 feddans, equivalent to nearly 1.96 million square metres of state land in Matrouh Governorate, to the Armed Forces, and earlier presidential decrees also included reallocating land to the Armed Forces, among them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alaraby.co.uk\/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-360-%D9%81%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%8B-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B6%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AD\">Decree<\/a> No. 299 of 2017, which reallocated about 360.5 feddans of tourist land in Matrouh, in addition to other decrees, among them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youm7.com\/story\/2020\/9\/3\/%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A-%D8%A8%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B5%D9%8A%D8%B5-%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B6%D9%8D-%D9%85%D9%85%D9%84%D9%88%D9%83%D8%A9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D8%AD%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA\/4958766\">Decree<\/a> No. 465 of 2020, which allocated about 47 feddans for administrative and service purposes, including sanitation projects belonging to the Armed Forces.<\/p>\n<div class=\"z3-article-separator\" role=\"separator\" aria-label=\"Section divider\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 140 4269 130\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M120 211H4149\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"#7e7e7e\" stroke-width=\"10\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1718\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"1930\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2142\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2354\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"211\" r=\"56\" fill=\"#fafafa\" stroke=\"#9c9c9c\" stroke-width=\"3\"\/><circle cx=\"2566\" cy=\"202\" r=\"50\" fill=\"#647580\" stroke=\"#4e5962\" stroke-width=\"4\"\/><\/svg><\/div>\n<h2>Gate Fees: Where Is the Legal Basis?<\/h2>\n<p>With the start of the summer 2026 season, the collection of fees at the Kilo 8 gate, the main entrance to the city of Marsa Matrouh, and at other gates sparked controversy on social media. Some citizens likened the fees to an &#8220;entry visa&#8221; to an Egyptian governorate, after the circulation of videos, complaints and price lists for tourist buses, microbuses and goods lorries, including marble, salt and building materials. These fees differ from the El-Abyad Beach gates contract and from the charge for renting the umbrella and chairs, even if they come together in residents&#8217; complaints about the multiplicity of burdens.<\/p>\n<p>The image of the fee list attached to the material shows prices of EGP 200 for a tourist bus, EGP 150 for a minibus and EGP 100 for a 14-seat microbus. The units of calculation for goods differ: EGP 1,500 per vehicle appears under the items for marble and salt, while other items are calculated per tonne, including EGP 1,500 for olives and EGP 2,000 for olive oil, and EGP 1,500 for raw salt and EGP 750 for processed salt. The difference in the unit of calculation means that the cost per vehicle cannot be compared directly with a fee calculated per tonne of cargo. No clear date of issue appears on the image, so it does not on its own prove that all of its items continued to be applied after the announced exemptions.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement reported by Al-Ahram Gate on 14 June 2026, the governorate explained that the entry fees do not cover the taxis belonging to it that adhere to their routes, and that the application concerns trip vehicles and tourist buses coming from outside Matrouh. Then, on 1 July, the Gate reported the Chamber of Commerce&#8217;s announcement of an exemption for vehicles transporting mineral water and foodstuffs, after a meeting with the governor. These are two clarifications relating to the governorate&#8217;s gate fees; they do not on their own settle the complaint about passage along the El-Abyad Corniche or all the forms of fee collection that residents described. <a href=\"https:\/\/gate.ahram.org.eg\/News\/5672807.aspx\">Source<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In <a href=\"https:\/\/gate.ahram.org.eg\/News\/5723329.aspx\">a news item of 1 July 2026<\/a>, the details of the exemption for food and mineral water lorries were given. It is important to separate the announced exemption decision, the incidents of collection described by the complainants, and the extent to which the exemption applies to a particular gate or service.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-17810\" src=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-1.jpg\" alt=\"List of Matrouh gate fees\" width=\"706\" height=\"840\" style=\"display:block;margin:0 auto;max-width:100%;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-1.jpg 706w, https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/beaches-document-1-252x300.jpg 252w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 706px) 100vw, 706px\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\" style=\"text-align:center\">Image of a fee list signed in the name of Major General Ramadan Hendawy Ramadan, assistant to the Governor of Matrouh for projects and financial and administrative discipline. No clear date of issue appears on the image, and the units of calculation differ between the vehicle and the tonne. Source: the documents reviewed by Zawia3.<\/p>\n<p>Saeed El-Hafyan criticises the imposition of burdens on roads through administrative decisions, and questions their legal basis. He believes that the additional fees on visitors and residents, together with rising service prices and declining utilities, have a negative effect on tourism and the local economy. In his assessment, Matrouh has tourism assets that need a development vision and more effective field management, instead of relying on new fees. The report does not conclude from this objection alone that a particular fee is invalid, a matter that requires examining the competent decision, its basis and the scope of its application.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, he points to the continuing drinking water crisis in the governorate in summer, which is not limited to insufficient pumping through the water network, but extends to the high cost of water in Matrouh compared with other governorates because of its heavy reliance on desalination plants, affirming that citizens contracted with the state to obtain the service, and that the responsibility for providing it therefore lies with the competent authorities.<\/p>\n<p>By contrast, MP Abdel Nasser Taher Abu Shaafa, member of the House of Representatives for Matrouh, denies that the public beaches in the governorate have been closed to citizens or placed entirely in the hands of investors, affirming that the public beaches are still available, and that what the governorate does is limited to renting out designated places for setting up umbrellas, a measure that is repeated every year and is not something new, according to him, and denying any knowledge of fees being collected from cars or individuals at the gates of the New Corniche in the El-Abyad Beach area.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding the fees that used to be imposed on certain categories, the MP explains to Zawia3 that the &#8220;karta&#8221; toll, which had prompted earlier complaints from Matrouh residents, has been abolished for the governorate&#8217;s residents and its products, while the ordinary transit fees imposed on vehicles, which are applied in other areas, remain in place unchanged.<\/p>\n<p>Regarding summer drinking water cuts, Abu Shaafa acknowledges that the crisis continues, and points to government moves to address it, including a visit by the Minister of Housing to follow up on the file and on the works at the new Rumaila plant. He expresses hope that increasing desalination capacity will help ease the crisis and improve supplies. The official statement distinguishes between the inspection visit and the start of operation; it does not describe the 21 July move as an inauguration.<\/p>\n<p>On 21 July 2026, Eng. Randa El-Menshawy, Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, and Major General Mohamed El-Zamlout, Governor of Matrouh, inspected the desalination plants in Rumaila, according to a statement by the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater. The stated capacity of the Rumaila 4 plant was about 65,000 cubic metres per day, compared with 48,000 for Rumaila 1 and 2, for a total of 113,000 for these plants. The wording of the statement establishes the visit and follow-up, not an official inauguration on 21 July, and talk of design capacity does not necessarily mean that the same quantity reaches every home or that the water cuts have ended. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hcww.com.eg\/\u0648\u0632\u064a\u0631\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u0625\u0633\u0643\u0627\u0646-\u0648\u0645\u062d\u0627\u0641\u0638-\u0645\u0637\u0631\u0648\u062d-\u064a\u0628\u062f\u0621\u0627\u0646-\u062c\u0648\u0644\">Source<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"text-align:center\">\n<p>Between residents&#8217; accounts and MPs&#8217; denials, the question remains: how much space is actually available to the public, at what cost, and on what basis are fees collected?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The complaints of Matrouh residents about the shrinking of public beach areas in the governorate and the imposition of fees that add to their economic burdens reveal that investment must respect the limits of the relationship between the public right and economic return.<\/p>\n<p>While official bodies affirm that public beaches continue to exist, citizens and local sources believe that the widening scope of paid zones and the multiplicity of fees reduce, in practice, residents&#8217; ability to reach the sea, especially in light of the high cost of living and the continuing problems with basic services.<\/p>\n<p>Between the state&#8217;s plans to develop the North West Coast and attract investment, achieving development without Matrouh&#8217;s residents and visitors losing their right to the beach remains dependent on the state&#8217;s ability to strike a genuine balance between investment and social justice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Documents and testimonies from summer 2026 reveal multiple beach and gate fees in Matrouh, between residents&#8217; complaints about declining access to the sea and MPs&#8217; denials that public beaches have been closed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17809,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[390],"tags":[18079,18081,18080,18078,18083,12386,18082],"kateb":[11992],"class_list":["post-17815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-human-rights","tag-al-obayed-beach-fees","tag-beach-concessions","tag-egypt-north-coast","tag-matrouh-beaches","tag-matrouh-water-supply","tag-public-beach-access","tag-public-space-rights","kateb-basant-noor-el-din"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/matrouh-beaches-cover-teal.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17815"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23376,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17815\/revisions\/23376"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17815"},{"taxonomy":"kateb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zawia3.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kateb?post=17815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}