Egypt’s tourism sector constitutes 12% of the country’s GDP. However, similar to tourism sectors worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have declined visitors to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Consequently, prices of products and services have surged, impacting inflation.

Despite such turbulence, in 2023, Egypt experienced a record-breaking number of tourists, reaching 14.906 million visitors. This figure surpassed the previous record of 14.731 million set in 2010. Egypt’s tourism revenues also experienced growth, recording an increase of 8% year-over-year in 2023, amounting to $13.2 billion.

Tourist arrivals to Egypt continued to gain momentum, surging by 27% year-over-year in the first four months of 2024, according to Vice Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ghada Shalaby. This growth was strengthened by tourism from neighboring Arab countries, which increased by 54% year-over-year during the same period.

During Q1 2024, tourist arrivals to the country rose by 3% to 4% year-over-year.

This commitment to boosting the tourism sector in Egypt is supported by an announcement made by the country last year to double the number of foreign visitors to 30 million by 2028 while also encouraging increased private investment in the tourism sector.