Background:
The head of the City Council of Luxor organized a press conference to talk about the situation in Luxor. In November 1997, 62 people including 58 foreigners were killed in a famous tourist attraction called al Dayr-al-Baḥrī which affected tourism in Luxor greatly. Questions were asked to the governor of Luxor about the steps taken to enhance tourism in the area.
Side A:
The head of the City Council of Luxor was asked about the level of security in the area after the November 17 attack and if there were any signs that tourism in Luxor is bouncing back. He began by rejecting all of the terrorist attacks that occurred in Luxor and that it is an obstacle for the development of any country. He ensured that all of the security schemes were devised to combat terrorism. The security schemes were divided into two parts concerning the police and the civilians with a focus on the police because they are mode dependable. Security schemes were implemented on all types of transportation; including tourist sites and all roads that are directed towards it. Moreover, all tourists were accompanied by security. The governor confirmed that the conference on Arab tourism has greatly affected tourism in Luxor. The percentage of foreign tourists was increasing; they were in the range of 25,000-38,000 tourists. Every year, there were between a million to 1.5 million tourists or around 100,000 a month and therefore it decreased after the attack. Although there were 250 Nile cruises in Luxor, the number of working ships was restricted to the number of tourists available in the city.
The head of the City Council was then asked about some tourists who were complaining about Egypt Air as it forced tourists to stay in Luxor for a couple of more days to book another flight to Sharm-al-Shaykh or Hurghada . The governor promised that he will talk to those responsible at Egypt Air. Moreover, he was asked about a delegation that came from the FBI to inspect the security measures implemented by the government in Luxor and he confirmed that the delegation was satisfied.
Al-Qurna, Luxor, is a village where residents have artifacts buried under their homes. There was a project to transfer those individuals to a place with better services. The residents agreed to this project and they would not be transferred unless their houses were built.
There was also another issue; the local council in Luxor and the Egyptian Parliament were allegedly not on good terms, but the governor confirmed that the parliament does listen to the complaints coming from the local council and that people on the street are supporting the parliament. The people who were complaining were mostly the people who were dismissed out of their jobs especially in the tourism sector. About 540 people have lost their jobs but the government intervened and managed to return jobs to about 350 employees by talking to their employers. There were also efforts to provide insurance to tourists by an agreement between Egyptian and foreign insurance companies.
The head of the City Council said that steps were taken to enhance the economy in Luxor by the local government such as increasing the agricultural area by 40,000 feddans.
Side B:
According to the head of the City Council, job opportunities are going to be provided for the youth and industries that deal with the agriculture will be established. However, the head of the City Council confirmed that industrialization in Luxor will not establish big industries that could cause pollution. Medical tourism will also be established in Luxor as another means for enhancing the economy.
The governor was asked about the progress in the restoration of artifacts in Luxor and if there are archaeological missions to Luxor to aid in the restoration process. He said that the restoration process is a continuous process and the archaeological department oversees this process because it is a detailed and a scientific process.
