Red Sea hotels and resorts celebrated Christmas on Friday evening, in the presence of hundreds of European tourists and the complete absence of Russian tourists. Most hotels had weak occupancy rates that ranged between 25 to 35 percent.
Each of the hotels and tourist resorts prepared a program that included shows and recreational activities.
Pavilions, which are usually held annually for tourists to participate in shows, were absent as all the celebrations were held inside hotels. Turkeys, which are typically considered the main meal on this occasion were also absent to reduce expenses.
The Red Sea Security Directorate, in coordination with the Tourism Police Department, developed a plan to secure New Year's celebrations and intensified check points, deploying various forces at hotels as well as sniffer dogs and bomb disposal experts.
In Alexandria, the Catholic and Evangelical communities celebrated Christmas amid tight security measures around churches.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
