All Hail the King
Tut Lures Cultural Tourists to South Florida

By Mary Damiano

	Royal Canopic Bust, depicting King Tut, now on exhibit in Fort Lauderdale

Tourists flock to South Florida each winter for the sun, the surf and a brief respite from cold weather back home. But this season, they'll also be visiting to see the treasures of a king who died more than 3,000 years ago.

Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs has moved into the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale for the winter, and it's attracting residents and tourists, eager to see King Tut's legacy.

Of the 300,000 tickets that had been sold before the exhibit opened on December 15, 100,000 had been sold to people outside the South Florida area.

“We in Greater Fort Lauderdale and Broward County have a tremendous opportunity to expose this destination, which long ago was known as the center of sophomoric fun for college students on spring break, to a home for royalty,” said Nikki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, at a pre-opening press conference. “Last year the Queen Mary II sailed our fabulous Port Everglades and this year we made room for the king of kings, the absolute star of historic significance.”

“It's wonderful for the South Florida community,” said Shelly Spivack, senior manager for public affairs for sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield, regarding the impact of the exhibit on Fort Lauderdale's image to the rest of the world. “This museum is putting South Florida on the map. We are now going to be recognized as a destination, and this museum will be recognized for what it is, a true museum of art.”

A coffinette, or miniature vessel, on display at the King Tut exhibit at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale

The deal to bring Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs to Fort Lauderdale, one of only four stops on what is believed to be King Tut's final United States tour, was inked seven months ago. Since then, the Museum of Art underwent a major renovation to accommodate the exhibit, including the addition of a staircase outside the entrance. Visitors will enter through the second floor of the museum for the exhibit, and then wind their way through the 11 galleries detailing life in Egypt, King Tut's ancestry, his life and his legacy.

The exhibit includes 140 artifacts found in the tombs of King Tut and others believed to be his relatives—jewelry, busts, statues, musical instruments, vessels, boxes and many other beautifully crafted items that have earned Tut the nickname the King of Bling.

After Fort Lauderdale, the exhibit moves to Chicago and then to Philadelphia, but King Tut will leave plenty of bling in his wake.

“When the king leaves, he will have left behind not only a very gracious and very grateful experience for our residents and visitors, but also about $121 million dollars,” said Grossman. “We look at the economic impact as direct to the community—the airlines are going to be able to celebrate in their own way, other companies and corporations will be able to enjoy the leave behind of the people visiting here. The business value of this exhibit becomes extremely clear.”

The exhibit's first stop on the United States tour, Los Angeles, the King Tut experience generated an estimated $200 million dollars for the local economy.

Profits like that have prompted Egypt to get more aggressive in their marketing of the their country's treasures.

	Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and director of the Giza and Saqqara Pyramids, in Fort Lauderdale for the opening day of the King Tut exhibit. Photo by Mary Damiano

“There are no free meals anymore,” said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and director of the Giza and Saqqara Pyramids. “Egypt gave many exhibits to America for free. Museums made lots of money. An exhibit in Denver, Colorado 15 years ago, Egypt got $200,000 and the museum was rebuilt with the revenue that came from this exhibit.”

Egypt made about $9 million from the exhibit in Los Angeles.

“At the same time, the organizers made money, the museum made money, and the city of Los Angeles made $200 million dollars,” said Hawass. Gesturing toward Broward County Mayor Ben Graber, Hawass continued, “That is why Mr. Mayor looks very happy right now. He knows that King Tut will improve the economy of this town.”

The revenue that Egypt will gain from the King Tut tour will go to preserve the monuments and build site museums so the artifacts can have a permanent home. A visitors center is also being built, and plans are being made to light the Valley of the Kings so visitors can tour the 62 tombs there day and night.

“The Egyptian monuments do not belong to Egypt only, they belong to everyone all over the world,” said Hawass. “Therefore, we need to preserve it, and to preserve it, we need money.”

So, while those who visit Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs get a once in a lifetime experience, and Egypt gets much needed funds to make sure people get to keep having that experience for generations to come, Fort Lauderdale gets to prove that in the middle of all that sun and surf, there's a city with vibrant cultural heart.

“We are a credible historic and cultural destination,” Grossman said. “We are a place that people will equate now not only with 23 miles of fabulous beach and shopping and everything else that people who visit here expect to find, but we are a home for cultural spirit and cultural importance.”

Michael James of Wilton Manors views a wooden mannequin, one of the many artifacts included in the King Tut exhibit in Fort Lauderdale. Photo by Mary Damiano