Hotel workers say security is particularly tight for COP27 - all must obtain security clearance and since Tuesday, they have been barred from leaving their places of work or housing. Some decided to return to their hometowns until the conference ends.
"We are accustomed to restrictions, but this time it is very harsh and there were no exceptions," said a waiter at a four-star hotel.
Security has always been high in Sharm because to the north, across the length of the peninsula, Egypt's military has been battling a decade-old insurgency led by a local branch of the Islamic State group. In 2015, a Russian MetroJet plane crashed soon after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh, killing all 224 people onboard, an attack claimed by IS.
Sinai has twice been occupied by neighboring Israel: first during the Suez Crisis in 1956, which also involved France and Britain, and later in the 1967 Middle East war. It was returned to Egypt in 1982 as part of the U.S.-brokered peace deal between Egypt and Israel.
Since then, government-licensed development has helped resorts along Sinai's southern coast become a top beach and scuba-diving destination.
The COP27 conference is taking place at Sharm's large convention center. As in past COPs, only official U.N.-accredited delegates can enter the venue, known as the Blue Zone, which during the gathering is considered U.N. territory and subject to international law.
Another venue, the Green Zone, is for businesses, youth and civil society to hold events on the sidelines of the summit. It remains unclear where protests are meant to happen. A government COP27 website says that besides the 36-hour notification for protests inside the venue, a 48-hour notice via email is required for protests outside it.
From the few photos of the Green Zone in pro-government press, it appears to be on a section of highway or a parking area with cafeterias set up. Maj. Gen. Khaled Fouda, the provincial governor, called the site "very chic and clean" in comments to local TV last month.
"Protests are allowed, but smashing and insulting are not allowed," he said.
The government has dispatched 500 taxis to transport COP27 attendants, Fouda said - all with cameras connected to a "security observatory" meant to monitor the drivers' behavior.
None of this bodes well for activism, climate protest leaders say.
Greta Thunberg, a youth leader of the protest movement, has said she would not attend. "The space for civil society this year is extremely limited," she said at a recent London event. "It will be very difficult for activists to make their voice heard."
Cost is another factor. The recently released Egyptian activist said that many can't afford to travel, with the cost of a plane ticket from Cairo out of reach for many amid double-digit domestic inflation.
Cristine Majeni, a youth environment volunteer from Kenya's capital, Nairobi, scraped together thousands of dollars required for her 10-day trip, after struggling through the accreditation process.
"It's crucial for us to be given an opportunity to take part," she said.