Formerly an isolated, modest fishing village, Hurghada has become a major tourist destination. Only an hour's flight from Cairo and 250 miles south of Suez,its accommodations range from luxury hotels with their own private beaches and enormous holiday villages which are completely self-sufficient, to cheap and simple hotels. It has soft white sand beaches and plenty of coral reefs where visitors can go snorkelling, scubadiving, fishing and wind-surfing. For those who prefer to explore the reefs in comfort, there are submarine tours and trips in glass-bottomed boats. The Aquarium and Marine Museum at the Institute of Hydrobiology offer a huge collection of flora and fauna with exquisite tropical fish, sharks and other rare sea creatures. Near the souk (market) is a new mosque of yellow stone with two spiring minarets.
The largest single industry is carpet weaving. Boys and girls from age eleven or twelve attend weaving schools in addition to regular school. They produce works of art which are exported to many countries.