Egypt's tour guides protest lack of security

Egypt's tour guides demonstrated Sunday, protesting that they are attacked by souvenir vendors and unlicensed competitors at famed sites like the Valley of the Kings tombs in Luxor or Cairo's medieval citadel.

The turmoil reflects the crisis in Egypt's vital tourism industry, which has suffered from the country's internal unrest since the 2011 uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Tourism officials said revenues and the number of tourists dropped by about a third in 2011. Official guides, unlicensed competitors and souvenir salesmen vie for the attention of small numbers of tourists — and the licensed operators have had enough.

About 150 tour guides demonstrated Sunday outside Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum. They said the lack of security and increased lawlessness, which has plagued much of Egypt following the toppling of Mubarak, has exposed them to attacks from vendors and competitors and further complicates attempts to lure tourists back.