Fears over appointment of Islamist in Luxor Hundreds of people protested outside the governor's office on Monday night, including tourism workers and opposition politicians. They said they would consider sealing off the site, to prevent El-Kayat taking office. Fears have also been raised about the impact of a hard-line Islamist running the province. The Construction and Development party has made calls for strict implementation of Shariah law, which would include imposing an Islamic dress code for women, banning alcohol, and preventing unmarried men and women from mixing. Luxor is home to some of Egypt's most famous ancient sites, and tourism is vital to its economy, but visitor numbers have plummeted since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011, and subsequent unrest. In April, Telegraph Travel reported that hotel occupancy in Luxor during the Easter peak season was just 17 per cent. And workers in the city have expressed concern that the introduction of such policies will further hurt their business. El-Nadi el-Rawi, a boat operator, said the appointment would have a "disastrous" impact on tourism. "They want to kill tourism," the 26-year-old added. Why Luxor? There are many other provinces where the governor can serve. Hotel manager Gamal Ahmed Mahmoud, 49, said that the decision was another setback for his livelihood. "Hotel managers are about to close their hotels because of heavy debts," he said. However, El-Khayat has said he would not be influenced by his political leanings. "I am honoured to belong to the Islamist current, but now as a governor, I am in the service of the nation," he told the Associated Press. It is not fair to judge someone just because of affiliation but by evaluating their work, performance and skills. He also denied that Gamaa Islamiya carried out the 1997 attack, although the group did claim responsibility for it at the time. An estimated 11.5 million holidaymakers took a break in Egypt last year - including around one million Britons - up by 17 per cent on 2011, although still down from the 14.7 million who visited in 2009. The Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to most of the Sinai Peninsular, including St Catherine's Monastery, but not the major resorts of Sharm El Sheikh, Taba, Nuweiba and Dahab, due to recent attacks and kidnappings by Bedouin tribesmen.