The economy of Luxor, like that of many other Egyptian cities, is heavily dependent upon tourism. Large numbers of people also work in agriculture, particularly sugarcane.
The local economy, reliant on tourism, was greatly hit by the Luxor massacre in 1997, in which a total of 64 people (including 59 visiting tourists) were killed, at the time the worst terrorist attack in Egypt (before the Sharm el-Sheikh terrorist attacks): it reduced tourist numbers for several years. However, tourist numbers have since recovered. Following the 2011 Arab Spring, tourism to Egypt dropped significantly again affecting local tourist markets.
To make up for shortfalls of income, many cultivate their own food. Goat's cheese, pigeons, subsidized and homebaked bread and home-grown tomatoes are commonplace among the majority of its residents
