Shouts of one-million protestors vibrated through the air, anti-government supporters on horseback marched onto Tahrir Square demanding President Mubarak’s resignation, and black armored vehicles filled the streets—this was the scene in Egypt in 2011. Known as the Arab Spring, or the Arabic Revolutions, this wave of demonstrations, civil wars and protests lasted from December 2010 until early 2014.
In this time, the distressed country—known for the Great Pyramid of Giza, The Great Sphinx, Temple of Luxor and the Nile River—became recognized as a very unsafe place to visit. Tour operators, hoteliers and businesses that had previously relied on tourism monies were no longer offering trips and began cutting prices to attract guests due to economic downturn.
