How safe is Luxor?

Post by **Nancy** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:47 am

A friend of mine who lives in Cairo, said he was walking to the tv studio in the centre of Cairo the other night, (he is a film director)and he was mugged for his cigarettes, he says he no longer feels safe in his beloved Cairo. How safe do people feel in Luxor? and when will a new govement be in place?

Post by **Teddyboy** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 12:10 pm

Living in the centre of Luxor, I can tell you that I feel perfectly safe. However, there will be answers from other folk who seem to be terrified of being murdered or mugged at any moment.
As for your other question; you may as well ask how long is a piece of string!

Barb · Post by **Barb** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 12:20 pm

I too feel very safe here in Luxor. A lot of people here are wary about going out after dark but I was walking around on my own the in the evening a couple of days ago, and plan to do it again tonight, and my sister comes home from teaching half way across the city at 9.30pm every evening on her own and has not had any problems.

Post by **chiddy** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:14 pm

need to put my two penn'orth in here

we are seasoned travellers to Luxor with 10/11 trips under our belts so far

usually we stop on the west bank and have overwintered there for the last two years with the last one being through the revolution returning early only because a friend of mine died and as executor I had to return to the UK

needing a break we had a couple of weeks in early May stopping at the Gaddis

I can confirm however that it is not as safe as people are saying - there certainly is an atmosphere in and around the Corniche and the groups of young egyptians that gather can be intimidating to say the least - we had no trouble but there was definately a sense of unease
we heard of shootings and muggings but they were hearsay so can't confrm them

stopping at the gaddis there was one sole traveller that returned after one week rather than the booked two he had booked and a couple that also cut their stay short by a week due to the hassle and unease

at the airport I overheard lots of people that had probably been on the boats and wandered around Luxor in the evenings complaining about the hassle and they planned not to return but also to tell their friends about their problems

for us the hassle was still there from taxi and caleche owners but we were more hardened to it and hence didn't bother us too much - it was noticeable however that the "older" guys only asked a couple of times and then said "have a good holiday" or "have a good day" which we fine - unfortunately a lot of the younger ones went on and on!!

in summary - it is not right and the excessive hassle and noticeable lack of police will keep people away for a while unfortunately - for the expats that live there and are seen by the Egyptians every day there will be less problems as they are "known" but for new visitors however they are prime targets

having said that we have aready booked for next winter and plan to stop on the West bank where the hassle is certainly less

Post by **Isabell** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 3:40 pm

Having lived in Luxor for 4 years I still feel safe and I was here throughtout the so called 'revolution' and did not vary my routine any. I still go out when I want, including in the evening.

I constantly read on here that the hassle is less on the West Bank, I live on the East Bank and do not find that I get much hassle and a polite 'Shukran' is usually met with a reply of 'Afwan Madame' OK so a lot of people recognise the fact that I am not a tourist and actually live here but maybe that is the reason that people on the West Bank think it is hassle free, it is just that you are recognised as living there.

Are you planning on visiting Luxor and the things you hear are making you reconsider ? Wherever you live in the UK I feel confident in suggesting that it is safer here in Luxor.

Barb · Post by **Barb** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 4:45 pm

Chiddy, people ALWAYS complained about the hassle at the airport going home even before the 'revolution'. I was coming to Luxor for holidays for 17 years before I moved here and That was the main topic of conversation in the waiting areas. Yes I admit there is more hassle now but its only because there is less tourists to go around so to speak. They are fighting to get the custom to feed their families.

Post by **Azurite** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:21 pm

I think the trouble here is that all of us who have visited in the past, yes we did comment on the "hassle" but then it was usually just in the "banter" class, just stating the obvious in a conversation.
It seems to have gone far beyond that now, and people have commented on how when they are out at night they are actually accosted.
There's a big difference between what you might have in the past called a bit of local colour for want of a better expression and what is now bordering on criminal behaviour.

Post by **LovelyLadyLux** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:56 pm

The economy of the world is tenuous right now and most of the middle east is in turmoil.

Tourists are not coming to Luxor or really going anywhere right now which is causing other local economic downturns in those countries that are reliant on tourism for their livelihood.

Stats will tell you that many Egyptians live on a very very low daily income. Where are they getting their meagre salaries now?

This creates DESPERATION and people will do things to ensure their own survival that they otherwise wouldn't do. Couple this with a lessened police presence what is the obvious conclusion? Should you feel safe? If you have to ask the question it must be crossing your mind that it isn't (safe) and you are very correct in querying this - it is NOT SAFE in Luxor right now. Not as it used to be. Nobody can assure you as to safety.

Hindsight is always 100% and in hindsight am sure you don't want to think "I shouldn't have gone." Be safe, be cautious. You can't take back the results of an incident or, heaven forbid, a tragedy.

Life is in flux right now in Luxor. New rules and boundaries and "norms" are being established. Don't put yourself at risk just for a holiday.

Post by **Mad Dilys** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 7:56 pm

It isn't helpful to say to strangers to Egypt that it isn't as safe as it used to be. It doesn't give them anything to measure it against.

I say that I feel safer here than in the UK. I prefer to live here than in the UK.

I take the information issued by the British Embassy seriously and follow their suggestions.

By the way, it isn't as safe as it used to be in the UK or the world in general either.

Post by **Teddyboy** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:31 pm

"it is NOT SAFE in Luxor"

Where does your information come from, LovelyLadyLux?

Post by **Who2** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:40 pm

Well it's a damn sight safer here than WC1 and most other London post codes...

Post by **LivinginLuxor** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:32 pm

Agreed totally - Even safer than Bedford or Manchester town centres any night of the week!

Yes the hassle is as bad as ever - but I was talking with a taxi driver today who was complaining about "No Business" - he eventually agreed with me that the tourists are back (not in droves) but coming from Hurghada. His 'tourists' were the independent travellers, or those renting flats, and he wasn't seeing many of them at the moment - but it is the time of year when many expats here return home to escape the heat, and so not so many are coming now, as summer fast approaches.

If only the media could come here, and write or film about it in travel reviews - that would help enormously.

Post by **JOJO** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:35 pm

Barb wrote:Chiddy, people ALWAYS complained about the hassle at the airport going home even before the 'revolution'.

Fair enough there as always been hassle but tourists main concerns are that if the hassle goes to far how protected are they at the moment, whether these concerns are warranted or not are debatable but the reality is these are concerns that ARE keeping the tourists away.
As well as trying to attract the tourists back I think there as to be a huge over-all in Luxor regarding the treatment of tourists.

Post by **JOJO** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 11:43 pm

LivinginLuxor wrote:Agreed totally - Even safer than Bedford or Manchester town centres any night of the week!

Disagree.I could walk through Manchester town centre tomorrow with my children and I can guarantee you 100% not once will anyone approach me, follow me, hassle or intimidate me! with "are you english...are you married? your beautiful"

Post by **LivinginLuxor** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:00 am

But you would get "Any spare cash" as you went to a cash machine, and other threatening remarks in many areas.

Post by **JOJO** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:05 am

LivinginLuxor wrote:But you would get "Any spare cash" as you went to a cash machine, and other threatening remarks in many areas.

Really? never in all my years of visiting the city centre as any one said "Any spare cash" or made any threatening remarks.

the only people that ever approach you are the big issue sellers.

Post by **Bearded Brian** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:21 am

I've stopped using the outside ATMs in Luton as more often than not I would be asked for spare cash, I've also nearly stopped smoking when in town as I'm fed up of being asked for cigarettes. Mind you the worst are the charity people wanting you to sign up for this weeks charity - if it's a childrens charity my usual response is 'give them arsenic' - shuts them up long enough for me to carry on walking.

Post by **DJKeefy** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:54 am

My thoughts:

People who have never visited Luxor before will find it safe when comparing it to some other countries, they will also find most Egyptians friendly, hassle in certain places will take place due to them wanting to do some kind of business to earn some money. In general you should have a great holiday.

People who have visited Luxor before might find the hassle more due to low tourist numbers. You probably notice that the feeling is not the same as before and quite a few Egyptians (normally under 30) being more boisterous and dont care or not as polite as before. The lack of police on the street will probably give you a feeling of its not as safe as before, knowing that before you saw police everywhere which gives most people that feeling of safety.

After all the incidents I have witnessed over the past few months (ive posted a few of them on Luxor4u), the last 3 days when ive been out and about everything as been great with no incidents, hopefully things are getting better.

Post by **Winged Isis** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 8:20 am

Teddyboy wrote:"it is NOT SAFE in Luxor"

Where does your information come from, LovelyLadyLux?

Hmmm, just what I was wondering, LLL. Have you ever been to Egypt? More to the point, are you actually living there now, post-Revolution? Respectfully, I think only those who are, can or should comment with any degree of accuracy, surely? I have been 9 times, the last in December and January, including during most of the Revolution, but haven't been able to go back since, so do not believe I have any right to give an answer to the original question, even though I get regular information from my husband living there. Let's leave it to those who can be eye-witnesses, as anything else is just (possibly inaccurate and misleading) hearsay. :look:

Barb · Post by **Barb** » Sun Jun 05, 2011 8:30 am

Can I just ask, If anyone sees a tourist being hassled do they intervene? I am pretty well known by the calleche and taxi drivers around the centre of town because I walk everywhere and if I see any of them hassling a tourist too much I tell them to stop. There was one incident when a taxi was trying to charge a couple 30le from the Iberotel to the museum and he also already had 2 tourists in his taxi. I stopped and advised the tourists that they should pay no more than 10le for that journey and helped them get another taxi. Yes I got abuse from the driver but thats life. I told him he was a clefty and that I would take his number and report him. He soon shut up and drove off. There was also another time when a shoeshine boy was following a couple down st joseph street asking for baksheesh. I said to him hallass and stepped in front of him so that he couldnt follow them any more. If we help out the tourists then they will see that we are a friendly bunch and are MAYBE more likely to come back.