The $30m Egyptian pyramids tourism rebrand

Some 2.5 million people visit the Pyramids of Giza each year with hopes of an epic experience befitting one of the World's Seven Wonders. But for decades, a trip to Egypt's most famous tourist spot meant battling crowds and parrying aggressive hawkers.

- Sherif Tarek

Now, thanks to a US$30 million (978.8 million baht) revamp that rethinks the experience, seeing the pyramids is finally inspiring more awe than agony. A network of buses whisks visitors around the site, the hard-sells have been tamed — and you can even enjoy some fine dining overlooking the 4,600-year-old monuments.

All this officially debuts on July 3 — a milestone seven years in the making. In 2018, the Egyptian government signed a public-private partnership deal with Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris’ Orascom Pyramids Entertainment (OPE) to overhaul the Giza Plateau, the area west of Cairo on which the ancient structures sit.

A soft launch began in early April, allowing the OPE to make improvements and address shortcomings ahead of a wider reveal, OPE Executive Chairman Amr Gazarin said in an interview. The firm will operate the location for the next 11 years, drawing revenue not from ticket sales — which the government is solely entitled to — but from VIP tours, sponsorship deals and commercial leases on the grounds.