It is estimated that the Red Sea coast and the Gulf of Aqaba will attract over one million tourists during the next few years. Tourism development constitutes a serious threat to both the marine environment and the tourism industry itself, if not planned and developed on a sound environmental basis with the effective enforcement of environmental regulations. Suspended fine sediments resulting from these activities can inflict widespread damage to coral reefs, seagrass beds, mangroves and other marine life, over distances of dozens of kilometres from the source. On Egypt's Hurghada coast, sediments from coastal alteration activities have spread to extensive fringing reefs, down the coastline and to the adjacent islands and offshore reefs, where they are damaging corals and mangroves. Dredge and fill activities around Aqaba have altered coastline morphology and created a plethora of erosion and sedimentation problems affecting the entire area.
Sewage is considered an important environmental threat throughout the region.
Most of the treatment plants in Jeddah are overloaded and, hence, the effectiveness of treatment is very low, hence, the low quality of treated effluent from the plants. In Jordan untreated sewage was discharged directly into the Gulf of Aqaba in the vicinity of the port up until 1987, when the city started treating its waste water. The treated effluent is used for irrigation purposes in the vicinity of the treatment plant. Considerable amounts of sewage are, however, being discharged into the Gulf from cargo vessels, tour boats, ferries and private yachts. In Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal cities of Jeddah and Yanbu, domestic waste water treatment is considered quite adequate.