Egypt’s tourism industry has experienced a boost this year, with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announcing at a press conference on Wednesday, 1 January that the country welcomed a record of 15.7 million tourists in 2024.
The government is optimistic about continuing this upward trend, following a challenging period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has severely impacted global travel and Egypt’s tourism sector.
Egypt aims to reach 18 million tourists in 2025, according to Madbouly. A key driver of this growth is the highly anticipated official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is expected to attract millions of visitors.
To support this ambitious goal, the Egyptian government plans to invest in expanding hotel capacity and improving tourism infrastructure across the country, with a focus on enhancing visitor experiences at Egypt’s iconic historical and cultural sites.
Since the pandemic, tourism numbers have steadily rebounded. In 2019, Egypt welcomed over 13 million tourists, but the number dropped drastically to just 3.7 million in 2020 due to global travel restrictions. However, the sector began to recover in 2021, reaching 8 million visitors, and continued its recovery with 11.7 million tourists in 2022 and 14.9 million in 2023.
According to the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, the tourism sector is currently growing at an annual rate of 8.2 percent, driven by longer stays and increased spending by tourists.
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