Dear expats,
As a Dutch journalist I am traveling to Sharm el Sheikh next week to write a story on the city and the loss of tourism last year. Is the town really a ghost town, how hard are hoteliers and restaurant-owners struggling to survive? I was hoping to meet some expats to help me get around, maybe someone here has some advice for me? Would be very much appreciated. Thanx!
Kaya
Traveling 8 august to sharm hoping to meet expats
Kaya Rosa
01 August 2016 21:56:03
1
jhgreen
08 August 2016 09:03:37
9
I would not say that Sharm is a ghost town. There are still tourist coming and going but a much different kind of tourist. Right now Na'ama Bay is bustling. It is full of Egyptian and Arab tourists. But they are a different kind of holiday maker than the Europeans. They won't buy much of the tourist tat that was ubiquitous for the Europeans so many of those shops are closed which personally I am thankful for. Nabq is quieter and El Mercato which was full of overpriced clothes is mostly closed. But the discos, coffee shops and belly dancing places are doing a good business. The Arabs don't stay as long on holiday as the Europeans did and then spend their money in more targeted areas so not as much money is coming in as when the Europeans were the main source of tourist. It is a new reality that the Egyptians need to get used to and target their businesses to meet this reality.
Sense2016
18 August 2016 18:48:04
3
Hi kaya this me I'm living her over 14years accordingly you may contact me if u do need any help
Making_Bubbles
20 August 2016 06:11:43
2
I'm a scuba instructor living in Sharm El Sheikh, I've been here for 3 1/2 years and a total of 10 years in total in Egypt. If you need any advice or tips around Sharm let me know.
To answer your questions, tourism is dead. Sharm was a ghost town until around December of 2015 or even later than that. At some point, hotel owners decided to bring in Egyptian tourism to Sharm, and not the good kind. Dirt cheap offer bringing really low class uneducated Egyptians that just killed the city that foreigners have made here. You could stay 4 days in a hotel all inclusive for 200 - 300 Egyptian Pounds. Flights are slowly starting to come back to Sharm but unless they dump the Egyptian tourism, there is no way tourist will want to come back here. It's become a different place with Egyptian tourists.
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