A US delegation of tourism company managers arrived Monday to Luxor, Upper Egypt, as part of the governorate’s effort to boost tourism as hotel occupancy dipped to 20 percent.
Nagwa al-Baron, a tourism expert, told German news agency DPA that hotel occupancy had dropped from 70 percent to 20 percent because of the political situation in Egypt.
DPA said the delegation was accompanied by 150 US tourists who are planning to spend their Christmas vacation viewing monuments and sites in the governorate.
Mohamed Osman, a tourism expert, said this is the first time US tourists have visited Luxor in such numbers, noting that the visit aims to test the security situation in Egypt before bringing more tourists.
Tharwat Agamy, who chairs the chamber of tourism and travel agents, said political instability had a negative impact on incoming tourism, and has caused an early failure for the Christmas season as Egyptian companies have received requests to cancel reservations.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
