Egypt’s tourism sector witnessed a significant growth in the first half of 2024, with revenues increasing by 5% to reach $6.6 billion from $6.3 billion during the same period in 2023. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that Egypt welcomed 7.069 million tourists between January and June 2024, surpassing the previous record-high of 7.062 million tourists in 2023. This represents a 0.1% increase compared to 2023 and a 2.4% increase from 2010.
The rise in tourist arrivals also boosted the number of nights tourists spent in Egypt, which reached 70.2 million during the first half of 2024, up from 67.6 million nights in 2023 and 65.7 million nights in 2010. This growth aligns with Egypt’s National Strategy for Sustainable Tourism 2030, which aims to attract more tourists to the country and increase the number of inbound airline seats and hotel rooms in Egypt.
In 2023, Egypt recorded a record-breaking number of tourists, reaching 14.906 million, surpassing the previous record of 14.731 million tourists in 2010. Tourism revenues rose by 8% year-on-year to about $13.2 billion in 2023.
As Egypt recovers from local economic headwinds and regional tensions, it is seeking to boost its tourism sector by attracting more investments. During her participation at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, Dr. Ghada Shalaby, Egypt’s vice minister for tourism at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, expressed the government’s plans to attract more investments from the GCC to develop tourist destinations across the country.
One of the notable projects Egypt approved since is the construction of an international tourist port in Ras El-Hekma. The project is designed to accommodate tourist cruises and yachts and is part of a broader initiative to transform Ras El-Hekma into a vibrant urban and tourism hub. For more news on hospitality and tourism, click here.
