Fast growing tourism development and future plans at the northern Red Sea and Gulf of Aqaba are alarming. Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada (Egypt), Eilat (Israel) and Aqaba (Jordan) are the main tourist centres of the Red Sea Riviera with approximately 5.7 million tourists in 1997. Coral reefs are under threat by several human activities related to tourism development and coastal urbanisation, such as infilling of reef flats, sedimentation, sewage discharge, solid waste, fishery and aquaculture as well as anchor damage of reefs and breakage of corals by snorkelers and divers. On the one hand the increase of diving activities is likely to exceed the carrying capacity of coral reef dive sites and might lead to degradation of the marine ecosystem. On the other hand, and much more severe, unplanned tourist development and the lack of adequate infrastructure for solid waste disposal, sewage treatment and water supply will have a highly negative impact on the coastal ecosystem in general. Therefore, proper planning of tourism development and estimation of the carrying capacity of tourism infrastructure for coral reefs is of major importance. Otherwise the coral reefs in tourism development centres around the world will face a severe degradation and a sustainable use of this valuable natural resource is not possible.