Sharm nightspots deserted as tourists vanish

Usually buzzing with foreigners on holiday, Sharm el-Sheikh's tourist nightspots have been deserted after thousands left the Egyptian resort following the crash of a Russian airliner.

Only two weeks ago, popular Sharm areas like the Old Market, Naama Bay and Soho Square were teeming after dark, but now only a few holidaymakers can be seen once the sun sets.

"Last month, you couldn't walk here. It was packed with people," Essam Shawki, manager of an open air restaurant at Naama Bay, told AFP on a recent night.

"Today the street is empty. I've served only four customers in the last six hours."

Thousands of Russians and Britons have been repatriated from Sharm el-Sheikh after Moscow stopped all flights to Egypt and Britain halted air travel to the resort as suspicions grew that a bomb downed the Russian aircraft.

All 224 people on board the Airbus A321, mostly Russians, were killed when the Saint Petersburg-bound flight crashed over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, minutes after taking off from Sharm el-Sheikh.

The Islamic State group's branch in the Sinai has claimed responsibility, but Egyptian officials insist there is no evidence yet of an attack on the plane.

The streets of Naama Bay are brightly lit and loud music blares out from every restaurant.

Jewellery shops, leather boutiques and cafes line both sides of the area's main thoroughfare, but there are no customers in sight.

Staff wait for hours outside restaurants for customers, without any luck. At some times, the waiters and shopkeepers outnumber the tourists.

Sharm el-Sheikh's Old Market -- a favourite hangout for tourists -- is nearly empty, with shopkeepers complaining of a sharp decline in sales.

Caption: Salesmen wait for tourists at a bazaar area in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh

Photo: The Malaysian Insider