New | Political unrest scares tourists away from Luxor, Egypt
Political upheaval has scared visitors away from one of country'smost popular tourist destinations, causing economic hardship
Tourists once flocked to Luxor for its pharaonic treasures, but as Egypt witnesses sweeping political upheavals, the visitors have simply vanished from this famed temple city.
Christmas used to be particularly busy, as tens of thousands of visitors thronged Luxor's famous temples, but fresh unrest that followed the army's ousting of Islamist president Mohammed Mursi in July has virtually stopped tourist arrivals.
Egypt's political unrest first began with the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak and triggered a wave of events that has rocked the tourism industry, which was vital to the country's economy.
Salah, 51, earned a living showing tourists around Luxor in his horse carriage, but now the father of four, the youngest of whom is just 18 months old, has no customers and his cart has lain idle for months.
"Before, I used to earn 2,000 to 3,000 Egyptian pounds (HK$2,220 to HK$3,330) a month. Today, I am happy if I have 10 pounds in my pocket," Salah said.
Luxor, a city of around 500,000 residents on the banks of the Nile in southern Egypt, is one of the country's main tourist hubs. It has born the brunt of the upheavals of the past three years.
