In 2024, Germany, Russia, and Saudi Arabia led the inflow of vacationers to Egypt, which noticed a notable improve in international guests. Sharm El Sheikh, Better Cairo, South Sinai, and Hurghada skilled lodge occupancy charges exceeding 75%. There are additionally optimistic expectations for an additional rise in inbound tourism in 2025 in comparison with the earlier yr.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, acknowledged that Egyptian vacationer locations proceed to get pleasure from safety, security, and stability, remaining unaffected by the geopolitical occasions occurring within the Center East. This favorable state of affairs was mirrored within the inbound tourism numbers final yr, which recorded roughly 15.78 million vacationers.
This included about 8.7 million vacationers from July to December 2024. If this pattern continues, Egypt is anticipated to obtain round 17 million vacationers by the tip of the present fiscal yr (2024-2025), with a mean of 1.4 million vacationers visiting every month.
Fathy additionally famous that the general common lodge occupancy price reached 69% final December, representing a 25% improve in comparison with the identical month in 2023. He identified that the federal government is encouraging lodge funding by offering promising alternatives on this sector, together with incentives and financing initiatives designed to draw extra private-sector investments and stimulate the tourism business.
Nonetheless, Egyptian tourism confronted important challenges following the outbreak of battle on its northeastern border in Gaza. Within the final months of 2023, usually essentially the most essential vacationer season in Egypt, the cancellation price reached 50% of complete bookings.
In 2024, Egypt’s tourism sector generated roughly $15.3 billion, accounting for about 12% of the nation’s GDP. Tourism is a big international alternate supply, together with revenues from the Suez Canal, remittances, and exports.
To help the inbound tourism business, the Egyptian authorities has allotted a most of EGP 50 billion (about $992 million) for financing corporations on this sector. This initiative goals to develop and handle new lodge rooms, increase present tasks, or rework closed buildings into lodge services. Candidates have to acquire prior approval from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.
