For the millions of Egyptians whose incomes depend on tourist money, a bleak economic outlook grew even bleaker this week after a soccer riot in Port Said left as many as 74 dead.  Considered the worst outbreak of violence since Hosni Mubarak was overthrown a year ago, the clashes were followed a day later by protests that resulted in injuries to nearly 400 people.

The violence in Port Said comes just days after a French tourist was killed when armed attackers raided a currency exchange office in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.  Tourism Minister Mounir Fakhry Abdel-Nour insisted that the incident was a “random act” and not directed against foreigners, since two Egyptian nationals (and a German tourist) were also injured.  But for a global community already leery of visiting Egypt amid reports of political tension, reports like these have done nothing to quiet growing concerns.

Last month, at a government-sponsored “celebration of last year’s tourism achievements,” Abdel-Nour announced that the tourism sector — which had been generating more than $12 billion per year prior to the revolution — suffered a $4 billion decrease in 2011, with 32 percent fewer visitors.  Even worse, some insiders believe that government tourist tallies have included Libyans fleeing war and Palestinians from Gaza taking advantage of relaxed border controls, meaning the actual decrease was closer to 50 percent.

A Guardian article reporting on the “celebration” painted a stark portrait of Egypt’s tourism sites today, including largely deserted roads leading to Giza’s pyramids, taxi drivers struggling to find one passenger in a week, and a five-star hotel near the Great Pyramid where staff outnumber guests in the lobby five to one.

“We’ve seen a drastic drop in bookings, and those declining visitor numbers don’t even begin to tell the full story of what’s happening here,” said Tarek Lotfy, the hotel’s assistant director.  “With supply far outstripping demand, everybody is forced to drop prices and compete aggressively for business.  That means average revenue per tourist drops as well and, as a result, a huge range of industries —from farms, to retail shops, to factories — are affected.”

It is not only security concerns that have tour operators worried.  After recent parliamentary elections swept political Islamists into office, the al-Nour party, which won 22 percent of the seats contested, pitched the idea of new restrictions on alcohol sales and bikinis on beaches.  The suggestion was widely opposed by parties across the political spectrum — including the Muslim Brotherhood, which holds just under half the total seats — but those in the industry remain skeptical of the conservative al-Nour party.

Lotfy, who like many blames the ongoing security crisis on a lack of initiative taken by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, said before the Port Said riots that he is optimistic that the street violence will diminish and tourists will return in greater numbers, particularly after a new president is elected in June.

“Egypt is an incredibly powerful tourist destination; for cultural, religious, ecological and leisure reasons, it attracts all kinds of people from all over the world,” he said. “Despite the huge upheaval of the past year, millions of visitors still chose to come here, and that’s a testament to the assets we have as a country.  Every schoolchild in the world learns about the pyramids; I’m confident people will still want to come and see them for themselves.”

Indeed, Egypt’s monumental landmarks and storied past have long made it one of the most desirable destinations on earth.  But until some type of political stability and peace is established, its tourism numbers — and the millions of Egyptians directly and indirectly impacted by that revenue — will continue to suffer.