Tour operators conference in Luxor kicks off

Proceedings of the tour operators conference kicked off in Luxor Sunday.
Antiquities Minister Mamdouh el Damaty, Tourism Minister Hesham Zaazou along with a US delegation of 25 tour operators and media figures attended the conference.
Speaking at a press conference held on the sidelines of the conference, Zaazou invited attendees to visit Cairo tourist attractions.
He also affirmed that Egypt is a safe travel destination.
The US delegation along with the ministers of tourism and antiquities and Luxor governor headed for Luxor's West Bank to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the discovery of Queen Nefertari’s Tomb.
The delegation was also scheduled to visit the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple and the house of Howard Carter; the British archaeologist who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen.
Tourism, one of the main sources of national income, employs about four million Egyptians. In 2010, it brought the country about 13 billion dollars as over 14.7 million tourists visited Egypt.
However, following the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and the increase in instability, the number of annual tourists decreased to 9.8 million.