Tourism Development Authority was established in 1989 :

• Encourage environmentally-sound, private investment in tourism development
  
• Establish tourist zones and oversee the implementation of development planes for them
  
• Develop infrastructure schemes in these zones and recover their costs
  
• Dispose of desert lands designated for tourism development projects
  
• Monitor the application of environmental regulations.

In carrying out these responsibilities, TDA has the authority to acquire and sell tourism development lands and retain the income and to charge fees for assessing and monitoring projects. Since its inception, TDA has overseen the subdivision of several thousand individual properties within designated tourism centers along the coastlines of the coastlines of the Gulf of Aqaba and of the Red Sea from Hurghada south to Wadi el Gemal. The vast majority of these properties have been sold to private investors. In many cases, TDA works with development companies representing the interests of investors in specific tourism centers to develop self-financing infrastructure services and resolves other development issues.

TDA has therefore already taken a key decision in tourism development: the location, extant and configuration of the initial lands that will be converted from their natural state to resort development and its related uses. TDA has also pace of development by requiring that significant development must occur on allocated properties within three years of contract inception.

There are many other important development and environmental management responsibilities that reside with TDA,

TDA can:

• Mandate and assist the preparation of development planes for tourism centers to assure high quality environmental planning and design
  
• Modify existing subdivisions to achieve development and environmental protection objective
  
• Require and assist the protection important environmental assets that fall within allocated properties, such as wadi floodlines and public access to natural harbors (sharms and marsas) and beaches
  
• Guide the management of the coastal setback lands (dedicated on all waterfront parcels) to assure public access, limit inappropriate treatment of the natural landscape and encourage landscape design
  
• Adjust the 3-year provision as needed to enable more careful development planning
  
• Encourage ecolodge / ecotourism development with consistent resource management policies
  
• Assist in the formation and strengthening of the Integrated Development Companies
  
• Provide early technical assistance and information to assist developers in meeting development and environmental protection objectives
  
• Mandate preparation of EIAs for each tourism center prior to authorizing development on individual parcels 
  
• Work with developers to assure sound environmental impact assessment (EIA) and mitigation procedures and subsequent monitoring.