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
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in green at 10,917
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Monday, gaining 4.86 points, or 0.04 percent, to close at 10,917.04.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.95 billion ($1.05 billion), as 102 of the listed stocks advanced, while 147 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index increased, up 0.54 points, or 0.04 percent, to close at 1,467.06.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 85.41 points, or 0.36 percent, to close at 23,357.50. This comes as 19 of the listed stocks advanced, while 46 retreated.
The best-performing stock was Tourism Enterprise Co., with its share price surging by 10 percent to SR13.53.
Other top performers included Al Yamamah Steel Industries Co., which saw its share price rise by 8.64 percent to SR39.22, and Anaam International Holding Group, which saw a 4.05 percent increase to SR12.59.
Alramz Real Estate Co. saw its share price rising by 3.95 percent to close at SR61.85, while Umm Al Qura for Development and Construction Co. closed at SR18.08, marking a 3.67 percent increase in share price.
On the downside, the worst performer of the day was Saudi Industrial Export Co., whose share price fell by 3.72 percent to SR2.59.
ACWA Power Co. saw its share price fall 3.54 percent to SR177.20, while Naseej International Trading Co. declined 3.08 percent to SR29.56.
Moreover, the share price of Rabigh Refining and Petrochemical Co. dropped 2.95 percent to close at SR6.57, while Nice One Beauty Digital Marketing Co. saw its share price dropping 2.65 percent to SR17.97.
On the announcement front, Alinma Capital has declared a cash dividend distribution totaling SR6.55 million for unitholders of the Alinma Saudi Government Sukuk ETF Fund.
The dividend, covering the period from July to December, amounts to SR0.162 per unit and represents approximately 1.56 percent of the fund’s net asset value as of Jan. 15.
Its share price closed at SR10.42 on the main market, marking a 0.1 percent increase.
Also, Itmam Consultancy Co. has been awarded a significant project by the Digital Government Authority to develop digital investment skills within the public sector.
The contract, officially granted on Jan. 19, is valued at more than 5 percent of the company’s total 2024 revenue.
According to a statement, the program aims to equip government employees with the expertise needed to enhance digital government investment efficiency, focusing on software license development aligned with legal and technical standards.
Its share price remained unchanged on Nomu at SR16.40.
