Standard & Poor's downgraded Egypt's currency rating for the second time in four months based on the country's shorfall in foreign reserves and shaky political transition. It's the latest development for a nation facing mounting economic diffuclties.

Egypt's foreign reserves fell by over 50 percent last year to about US$16 billion. Egypt has requested US$3.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund to bolster its reserves and prevent a devalation but that could take months.

Experts say that Egypt's problem of attracting foreign investment and tourists, which are two sources that would increase reserves, has already caused the Egyptian pound to lose 1 percent of its value and if the country doesn't solve the shortfall in foriegn currency, it could even lead to a further currency devaluation within the next two to three months.

The long-term solution is to restore tourism and foreign investments but both are suffering because of the continuing unrest

Egyptian tourism suffered this past year as a result of a revolution, a transition to an elected government, and continuing signs of unrest and instability.

The Egyptian Revolution began on January 25 last year and President <name>Hosni Mubarak</name> resigned over two weeks later on February 11. The protests have continued as Egyptians grew uncomfortable with the military's control over the transition. At the start of this month, 79 people were killed at a soccer event in Port Said.

Tourism in Egypt accounted for US$12.5 billion in 2010 but fell 30 percent, or US$8.8 billion, in 2011, according to <name>Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour</name>, Egypt's tourism minister. Tourism accounts for 11.6 percent of Egypt's GDP.

Tourists visit The Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It holds 63 tombs and chambers for Pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom era. The valley is on the west bank of the Nile across from Thebes.

Last week, two U.S. female tourists and their Egyptian guide were abducted in the Sinai peninsula by Bedouin tribesmen and released shortly afterward.

As a location, Egypt boasts ancient pyramids, the Nile River, Biblical sites like Mount Sinai, museums, and Red Sea coastal resorts. Last year the number of tourists plunged from fifteen million people down to nine million, which is a 40 percent drop.

The low amount of tourism to Egypt has also affected tourism in other countries. <name>Stas Misezhnikov</name>, Israeli tourism minister, said that Israeli tourism is down because the flow of tourism from Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort is "almost nonexistent right now."