Sharm el-Sheikh: a ghost town?

Before the beginning of the "Arab Spring", the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh was visited by 15 million tourists annually. Last year, the figure dropped to 9 million. After a Russian plane was blown up over Sinai, flights to Sharm were canceled by Russian airlines, as well as British Airways and easyJet. Restaurants and hotels are closing in the city — the resort becomes deserted.

(27 photos in total)

Source: dailymail.co.uk

1. A cleaner washes an empty street in front of a copy of the sphinx.

2. Away from the coast: Sharm el-Sheikh is expanding towards the desert. Now there are many hotels there, including unfinished ones.

3. Completely empty shopping center Il Mercato.

4. An artificial pool on the sea — for those who do not want to walk on sharp rocks and swim over reefs.

5. A homeless camel is rummaging in the trash.

6. An unfinished hotel with a swimming pool has been standing since 2007.

7. Guards of the Botanical Garden closed to the public, July 2014.

8. An empty golf course.

9. Guarded hotel complex.

10. A group of Russian tourists.

11. Excursion to the desert.

12. Almost the entire coast from the border with Israel to Sharm el-Sheikh is built up with tourist infrastructure.

13. Unfinished hotel — there were only a few floors left.

14. Unfinished Kazar Hotel.

15. Divers in Dahab.

16. The stage for the light show in Sharm el-Sheikh in January.

17. Despite the abundance of unfinished buildings, construction continues.

18. Seasonal workers, hotel staff.

19. Before the international investment conference in March, almost all roads were repaired.

20. Performance without an audience.

21. A group of Russian tourists.

22. Investment cemetery: the unfinished hotel has been standing since 2011.

23. Bedouins who sold their coastal plot of land received a village in another, less attractive place for tourism.

24. Army checkpoint on the road.

25. A lonely beach umbrella in Nuweiba, between Sharm el-Sheikh and the border with Israel.

26. And that's how it was before the Russian plane was shot down.

27. Thousands of vacationers. Will they come back here again…