Egypt achieves record tourism figures with 15.7 million tourists

Sherif Fathy, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, announced that Egypt achieved a record in inbound tourism during 2024, welcoming 15.7 million tourists from various markets despite the geopolitical challenges in the region.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Tourism following his participation in a meeting of the Senate Committee on Culture, Tourism, Antiquities, and Media, Fathy highlighted that the achievements in Egypt’s tourism sector, despite regional and global challenges, were the result of collective efforts that must be sustained.

The minister outlined his ministry’s current strategy and objectives for developing the tourism and antiquities sector, focusing on showcasing Egypt’s diverse capabilities, resources, and tourism and antiquities offerings. These, he stated, position Egypt as the world’s top tourist destination in terms of diversity.

He also announced plans to establish an Investment Opportunities Bank to prepare a unified investment map of all available tourism investment opportunities and promote them both domestically and internationally. Additionally, Fathi projected the addition of 40,000 new hotel rooms to Egypt’s current capacity in the coming period. Fathy emphasised efforts to enhance all tourism products and styles, create new tourism concepts, integrate various offerings, and implement a comprehensive marketing plan for these products.

Meanwhile the passenger traffic at Egyptian airports rose 9 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, the Middle East News Agency (Mena) reported, citing the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The total number of passengers at Egyptian airports in 2024 reached 22.097 million, up from 20.276 million in 2023. Additionally, the number of flights also rose by 3 per cent, reaching 167,684 in 2024, compared to 162,773 the year before.

Cairo International Airport recorded 28.775 million passengers with a total of 211,664 flights in 2024, compared to 26.463 million passengers and 198,943 flights in 2023.

Meanwhile the total number of tourists visiting Egypt during the first four months of 2024 increased by 27 per cent, supported by inbound tourism from Arab countries, which witnessed a 54 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2023, according to Ghada Shalaby, Vice Minister for Tourism of Egypt.

In statements to the Emirates News Agency, Shalaby said during her participation in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai today that Egypt’s participation in the global event comes within the framework of the measures taken by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism to encourage more Arab tourist movement, especially from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

She expressed optimism about the tourism season in 2024, coinciding with Egyptian measures to support promotional programmes, facilitate tourist visas, and target new markets such as India, Australia, and Turkiye.

She noted the presence of nearly 70 Egyptian companies, as well as Egyptian investors and stakeholders in the tourism, aviation, hotel, and hospitality sectors, aiming to engage and explore future partnerships with their counterparts from the GCC countries and the Middle East, while attracting more foreign investments from new markets worldwide.

CAIRO: The passenger traffic at Egyptian airports rose 9 per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, the Middle East News Agency (Mena) reported, citing the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The total number of passengers at Egyptian airports in 2024 reached 22.097 million, up from 20.276 million in 2023. Additionally, the number of flights also rose by 3 per cent, reaching 167,684 in 2024, compared to 162,773 the year before.

Cairo International Airport recorded 28.775 million passengers with a total of 211,664 flights in 2024, compared to 26.463 million passengers and 198,943 flights in 2023. Meanwhile the total number of tourists visiting Egypt during the first four months of 2024 increased by 27 per cent, supported by inbound tourism from Arab countries, which witnessed a 54 per cent growth compared to the same period in 2023, according to Ghada Shalaby, Vice Minister for Tourism of Egypt.

In statements to the Emirates News Agency, Shalaby said during her participation in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai today that Egypt’s participation in the global event comes within the framework of the measures taken by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism to encourage more Arab tourist movement, especially from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

She expressed optimism about the tourism season in 2024, coinciding with Egyptian measures to support promotional programmes, facilitate tourist visas, and target new markets such as India, Australia, and Turkiye.

She noted the presence of nearly 70 Egyptian companies, as well as Egyptian investors and stakeholders in the tourism, aviation, hotel, and hospitality sectors, aiming to engage and explore future partnerships with their counterparts from the GCC countries and the Middle East, while attracting more foreign investments from new markets worldwide.