CAIRO: The famed Giza Pyramids in Egypt witnessed a high turnout of Egyptian and foreign visitors during this year’s winter school break, attracting more than 200,000 sightseers, according to local reports.
Egyptian news website Masrawy quoted workers at the site as saying that local tourism is recovering following years of stagnation.
Nadia Ismail, a street vendor near the pyramids who said she has been working for several years at the site selling souvenirs to tourists, told the website she was used to selling for more tourists before the sharp decline in tourism after January revolution in 2011.
Husni Al-Sayed, an owner of horse cart known as “hantour,” said the turnout of visitors could be due to the stabilizing security situation.
The report by Masrawy said 173,000 visitors went to see the wonders of Egypt between Jan. 19 — 31, including 14,513 foreigners, according to Ashraf Mohey, antiquities official of the area.
With interludes of warm sunshine, 30,000 more visitors went to the site before the school break ended on Feb. 2, the official added.
The tourism sector in Egypt is a major source of hard currency but has been hit since the 2011 uprising and the deadly crash of a Russian plane near Sinai in November 2015.
Winter break revives tourism around Egypt’s Giza Pyramids: Report
Winter break revives tourism around Egypt’s Giza Pyramids: Report
