Egypt’s revolution may have ended the dictatorship, but the violent scenes that were broadcast the world over have brought the tourism industry to its knees. However some think that safety is not the main issue that has caused the catastrophic decrease in visitors.

The pyramids and the pharaonic statues are not only Egypt’s greatest treasures, they’re also a magnet for tourists from all over the world. The nation’s economic future depends on them. But these days tourists are few and far between. Ask the camel tourguides that are lucky if they’re able to book one ride every few days. Then there are the souvenir stores that used to see 10 buses full of tourists per hour. And what about the tourboats sailing on the Nile that are now empty.

Apparently there’s a political party that has stated that in order for money to be earned from tourists looking at the statues, the faces of the pharaohs need to be covered with wax masks. The reason is that, according to this group’s doctrines, statues are a sin and it’s not right to earn money from people looking at them.

In the meantime thousands that benefitted financially from tourism are having a hard time making ends meet. Will Egypt ever recover its former touristic glory?

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