How Great Pyramids, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, have been made better to visit
Now, thanks to a US$30 million 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 OPE to make improvements and address shortcomings ahead of a wider reveal, OPE executive chairman Amr Gazarin said.
The firm will operate the location for the next 11 years, drawing revenue not from ticket sales – to which the government is solely entitled – but from VIP tours, sponsorship deals and commercial leases on the grounds.
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