Luxor governorate received 55 Japanese tourists، as governorate officials organized a welcoming ceremony for the tourists. The Japanese tourists are expected to remain in the governorate for several days، during which they are expected to visit Luxor's touristic attractions and archaeological sites in the western and eastern parts of the governorate، including Valley of the Kings and the temple of Karnak. Tourism officials expect an increase in the number of tourists visiting Egypt in the coming period، as European countries start to lift the flights ban to Sinai. "This is part of the company's commitment to bringing tourism back to Egypt, which is a crucial source of national income," state-owned Ahram Online quoted EgyptAir's chairman, Safwat Mosallam, as saying. In April, the first direct flight between Japan and Luxor in five years brought 230 Japanese tourists to Luxor from Osaka. European countries and the US have imposed a flights ban to Sinai، after a Russian civilian plane crashed in Sinai، killing all passengers and the flight crew members، in October 2015. The total number of tourists who visited Egypt reached 640179 tourists in February 2016، according to Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
