Egypt Registers 11.7 M Tourist Arrivals

Egypt's Ministry of Tourism revealed that the number of foreign tourists visiting the country in January 2022 reached 11.7 million, an increase of 3% compared to 8 million in 2021.

According to a statement, Tourism Minister Ahmed Issa Taha noted that it is expected that Egypt will see an increase in foreign tourist arrivals by nearly 30%.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Issa highlighted his ministry's strategy during the current period to launch promotion campaigns to further increase foreign arrivals.

The minister also briefed Madbouli on the available investment opportunities in Egypt to increase the resorts and hotels' capacity.

The Prime Minister also held a meeting on Wednesday to follow up on the progress made in the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) project, as well as the urban development efforts in the areas surrounding it.

The international tourists visiting Egypt in January 2023 were dominated by Spanish tourists, followed by France tourists, and Russian tourists, according to Mohamed Othman, head of the Cultural Tourism Marketing Committee at the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank said that Egypt's tourism revenues boost by 43.5 percent to a record high of 4.1 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2022-2023.

Additionally, the Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC) has said that Fitch Solutions expects an increase in the number of tourists coming to Egypt in the medium term due to a predicted decrease in the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war. 

In 2022, Travel Awaits, a website specializing in tourism and travel affairs, also released a report where Egypt was ranked ninth among the 17 most popular tourist destinations for travelers around the world in 2023, according to travel reservations by international tour operators.

Hoping to attract more visitors, the Supreme Council of Antiquities is due to launch a brand new tourism route in Al-Darb Al-Ahmar Archaeological Area, Old Cairo, that will make it easier for Egyptians and foreign tourists to visit ancient Islamic venues and popular destinations there.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities stated that it has recently finished preparing and equipping a new tourist path for Egyptian and foreign tourists visiting this historical area.

This path is being prepared for the first time with the aim of raising the efficiency of services provided to visitors to archaeological monuments in the Al-Darb Al-Ahmar area, in addition to linking a group of the most important Islamic archaeological buildings in Cairo to each other, the Council explained.

In addition to above mentioned, the Council revealed that the tourist path was equipped with a number of explanatory and indicative signs of the region's antiquities, and a number of clean-energy electric cars to transport visitors, especially the elderly, in addition to providing all means of making the path available for facilitated tourism.

This comes within the framework of the cooperation protocol signed between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Aga Khan Foundation for Cultural Services, Egypt, to promote tourism in Old Cairo, the Council noted.