David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

Elephant ivory is still being sold openly to tourists in Cairo and other Egyptian holiday resorts, despite a two-decade international ban on sales.

A new study by the Traffic wildlife trade monitoring network suggests that most of the ivory sold in Cairo and Luxor is being bought by Chinese buyers, along with Spaniards, Italians and Americans.

Endangered wildlife trade consultants say they counted more than 8,000 ivory items on sale in the old market in Cairo, at Tahrir Square, in hotel curio shops and other tourist outlets.

Trade in ivory was banned in 1990 and an Egyptian decree in 1999 also banned the sale, import or export of elephant ivory.

Egyptian authorities are now being urged to put an end to the flagrant illegal trade. International tour operators are also being asked to put similar pressure on the Egyptian government.

"Raising awareness of these issues and putting pressure on the government to assert a zero tolerance approach to the illegal trade is vital to stamping it out," says CEO of DSWF Melanie Shepherd.

For more on DSWF's work with anti-poaching click here