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
Saudi Arabia, Japan trade rises 38% between 2016 and 2024, minister says
RIYADH: Trade between Saudi Arabia and Japan has increased by 38 percent between 2016 and 2024 to reach SR138 billion ($36 billion), the Kingdom’s investment minister revealed.
Speaking at the Saudi-Japanese Ministerial Investment Forum 2026, Khalid Al-Falih explained that this makes the Asian country the Kingdom’s third-largest trading partner, according to Asharq Bloomberg.
This falls in line with the fact that Saudi Arabia has been a very important country for Japan from the viewpoint of its energy security, having been a stable supplier of crude oil for many years.
It also aligns well with how Japan is fully committed to supporting Vision 2030 by sharing its knowledge and advanced technologies.
“This trade is dominated by the Kingdom's exports of energy products, specifically oil, gas, and their derivatives. We certainly look forward to the Saudi private sector increasing trade with Japan, particularly in high-tech Japanese products,” Al-Falih said.
He added: “As for investment, Japanese investment in the Kingdom is good and strong, but we look forward to raising the level of Japanese investments in the Kingdom. Today, the Kingdom offers promising opportunities for Japanese companies in several fields, including the traditional sector that links the two economies: energy.”
The minister went on to note that additional sectors that both countries can also collaborate in include green and blue hydrogen, investments in advanced industries, health, food security, innovation, entrepreneurship, among others.
During his speech, Al-Falih shed light on how the Kingdom’s pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka achieved remarkable success, with the exhibition receiving more than 3 million visitors, reflecting the Japanese public’s interest in Saudi Arabia.
“The pavilion also organized approximately 700 new business events, several each day, including 88 major investment events led by the Ministry of Investment. Today, as we prepare for the upcoming Expo 2030, we look forward to building upon Japan’s achievements,” he said.
The minister added: “During our visit to Japan, we agreed to establish a partnership to transfer the remarkable Japanese experience from Expo Osaka 2025 to Expo Riyadh 2030. I am certain that the Japanese pavilion at Expo Riyadh will rival the Saudi pavilion at Expo Osaka in terms of organization, innovation, and visitor turnout.”
Al-Falih also shed light on how Saudi-Japanese relations celebrated their 70th anniversary last year, and today marks the 71st year of these relations as well as how they have flourished over the decades, moving from one strategic level to an even higher one.
