Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa confirmed that Egypt has overcome various odds and challenges in the tourism sector, breaking new records in 2023 after receiving over 14 million tourists.
During a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Issa announced that Egypt welcomed 14.906 million tourists in 2023, breaking the previous record of 14.731 million tourists set in 2010.
“The fourth quarter of 2023 witnessed a large demand for tourism, which is considered the second in history, as 3.6 million tourists arrived in Egypt, with an increase rate of about eight percent compared to the same period of the previous year, and a decrease of 600,000 tourists over the previous year.”
He noted that the war on Gaza has impacted plans for this year, however.
The Minister of Tourism indicated that the achieved goals related to the National Tourism Strategy helped greatly in reaching record numbers in the incoming tourism movement to Egypt.
These goals include formulating policies that stimulate the supply side of Egyptian tourism, instilling confidence in the relationship with the private sector, as reflected in the the sector’s performance and the increase in the state’s dollar revenue.
This also comes in addition to efforts made regarding the financial reform of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, doubling its revenues five-fold.
Efforts are in place to double available air capacity, tripling its current level by 2028, he said. This is evidenced by the increase in the number of incentivized and incoming air seats to Egypt from 561,852 seats in August 2022 to 698,779 seats in October 2023.
And the minister discussed in detail the work being done to improve tourism services, spread awareness, improve hotel security, double their capacity and enhance the investment climate.
