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Egypt's Luxor Sees Tourism Boom Ahead of Sphinxes Avenue Opening

Tourists visit the Karnak Temple Complex in Egypt's southern city of Luxor on March 10, 2020. Photo: AFP
Tourists visit the Karnak Temple Complex in Egypt's southern city of Luxor on March 10, 2020. Photo: AFP
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Egypt's Luxor Sees Tourism Boom Ahead of Sphinxes Avenue Opening

Tourists visit the Karnak Temple Complex in Egypt's southern city of Luxor on March 10, 2020. Photo: AFP
Tourists visit the Karnak Temple Complex in Egypt's southern city of Luxor on March 10, 2020. Photo: AFP

Tourism is recovering in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor with the opening of the Sphinxes Avenue just around the corner. Also known as "El Kebbash Road", the project's launch is scheduled to take place in a few days.

Tourists have flocked to the archeological sites and temples in the district, and hotels have seen a remarkable increase in reservations.

"Hotels occupancy rate in the district jumped 20 percent in November," said Mohamed Osman, head of the Cultural Tourism Promotion Committee in Luxor in a press statement on Wednesday, noting that "more tourists are expected to visit the country after the opening the Sphinxes Avenue."

"The region is witnessing a high tourist turnout in the current period. Over 5,000 visitors are visiting Al Karnak Temple every day, a number that hadn't been seen in the site since 2013," Saleh al-Masekh, director of Al Karnak Temple told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Al-Masekh attributed this growth to the huge advertising campaign of Sphinxes Avenue, expecting "the turnout to grow further following the public opening of the project."

Asharq Al-Awsat made a tour in the area where the main route leading to the project is still closed with some security checkpoints set as part of preparations for the grand opening, which will be attended by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The development project of the Sphinxes Avenues was first planned in 2006 after the Ministry of Culture announced its plans to revive the route. The project faced many obstacles due to many construction violations that obstructed the route linking Luxor and Al Karnak temples, which had to be removed.

The project was suspended in 2011, and then resumed in 2017.

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Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
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Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore Among Those who Lost Homes in Los Angeles Fires

A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)
A blackened US flag flies above a charred structure after the passage of the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades, California, on January 8, 2025. (Photo by AGUSTIN PAULLIER / AFP)

Fires burning in and around Los Angeles have claimed the homes of numerous celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton and led to sweeping disruptions of entertainment events.
Three awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed. Next week's Oscar nominations have been delayed. And tens of thousands of Angelenos are displaced and awaiting word Thursday on whether their homes survived the flames — some of them the city's most famous denizens, The Associated Press reported.
More than 1,900 structures have been destroyed and the number is expected to increase. More than 130,000 people are also under evacuation orders in the metropolitan area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, a number that continues to shift as new fires erupt.
Late Wednesday, a fire in the Hollywood Hills was scorching the hills near the famed Hollywood Bowl and Dolby Theatre, which is the home of the Academy Awards.
Here are how the fires are impacting celebrities and the Los Angeles entertainment industry:
Stars whose homes have burned in the fires Celebrities like Crystal and his wife, Janice, were sharing memories of the homes they lost.
The Crystals lost the home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood that they lived in for 45 years.
“Janice and I lived in our home since 1979. We raised our children and grandchildren here. Every inch of our house was filled with love. Beautiful memories that can’t be taken away. We are heartbroken of course but with the love of our children and friends we will get through this,” the Crystals wrote in the statement.
Mandy Moore lost her home in the Altadena neighborhood roughly 30 miles east of the Palisades.
“Honestly, I’m in shock and feeling numb for all so many have lost, including my family. My children’s school is gone. Our favorite restaurants, leveled. So many friends and loved ones have lost everything too,” Moore wrote on Instagram in a post that included video of devastated streets in the foothill suburb.
“Our community is broken but we will be here to rebuild together. Sending love to all affected and on the front lines trying to get this under control,” Moore wrote.
Hilton posted a news video clip on Instagram and said it included footage of her destroyed home in Malibu. “This home was where we built so many precious memories. It’s where Phoenix took his first steps and where we dreamed of building a lifetime of memories with London,” she said, referencing her young children."
Elwes, the star of “The Princess Bride” and numerous other films, wrote on Instagram Wednesday that his family was safe but their home had burned in the coastal Palisades fire. “Sadly we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire,” Elwes wrote.
The blazes have thrown Hollywood's carefully orchestrated awards season into disarray.
Awards ceremonies planned for this weekend have been postponed due to the fires. The AFI Awards, which were set to honor “Wicked,” “Anora” and other awards season contenders, had been scheduled for Friday.
The AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which honor movies and television shows that resonate with older audiences, were set for Friday but have been postponed.
The Critics Choice Awards, originally scheduled for Sunday, have been postponed until Feb. 26.
Each of the shows feature projects that are looking for any advantage they can get in the Oscar race and were scheduled during the Academy Awards voting window.
The Oscar nominations are also being delayed two days to Jan. 19 and the film academy has extended the voting window to accommodate members affected by the fires.