Present at the IFTM at the Porte de Versailles, Sherif Fathy, the Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities had a smile on his face on Tuesday.
On the one hand, his country treated the IFTM to a sumptuous stand, including a partial reproduction of the GEM, the Grand Museum, which opened in Cairo in November last year and aims to be the largest archaeological museum in the world devoted to a single civilization.
On the other hand, at a time when war is causing a massive collapse of tourism in the Middle East, Egypt is undeniably standing out.
“Between January 1 and September 4, we recorded a 4% increase in the number of international tourists which reaches 14.8 million”, said to TourMaG Sherif Fathy.
As for arrivals of French tourists, they are up 16% to date but could reach +25% over the year.
On the one hand, his country treated the IFTM to a sumptuous stand, including a partial reproduction of the GEM, the Grand Museum, which opened in Cairo in November last year and aims to be the largest archaeological museum in the world devoted to a single civilization.
On the other hand, at a time when war is causing a massive collapse of tourism in the Middle East, Egypt is undeniably standing out.
“Between January 1 and September 4, we recorded a 4% increase in the number of international tourists which reaches 14.8 million”, said to TourMaG Sherif Fathy.
As for arrivals of French tourists, they are up 16% to date but could reach +25% over the year.
The Grand Egyptian Museum, a true driving force
This success has several explanations, according to Sherif Fathy. On one hand, he says, “Egypt is a safe country, it is at peace, promotes peace and plays the role of mediator in favor of peace, which makes it an exception”.
On the other hand, he continues, its offering is diversified and allows for a variety of experiences: beaches on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, archaeological sites, the desert, Nile cruises (they are performing very well) and also pilgrimages.
This offering enables combinations, for example Luxor temples with a desert trek or with a Nile cruise.
“The Grand Museum of Cairo helps attract tourists to Egypt and also increases the length of their stay. Many of those staying in Luxor or Hurghada (Red Sea) do not hesitate to spend a day in Cairo to visit it and then see the Pyramids”, the minister notes.
According to Sherif Fathy, between November 2025 and the end of August 2026, the Grand Museum of Cairo has been visited by 3.5 million people.
For a year (Nov. 25/Nov. 26), the minister expects GEM to be visited by 5 million people.
The traffic is such, he told TourMaG, that “we had to limit the number of visitors to 15,000 per day”.
On the other hand, he continues, its offering is diversified and allows for a variety of experiences: beaches on the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, archaeological sites, the desert, Nile cruises (they are performing very well) and also pilgrimages.
This offering enables combinations, for example Luxor temples with a desert trek or with a Nile cruise.
“The Grand Museum of Cairo helps attract tourists to Egypt and also increases the length of their stay. Many of those staying in Luxor or Hurghada (Red Sea) do not hesitate to spend a day in Cairo to visit it and then see the Pyramids”, the minister notes.
According to Sherif Fathy, between November 2025 and the end of August 2026, the Grand Museum of Cairo has been visited by 3.5 million people.
For a year (Nov. 25/Nov. 26), the minister expects GEM to be visited by 5 million people.
The traffic is such, he told TourMaG, that “we had to limit the number of visitors to 15,000 per day”.
Egypt: change of marketing strategy
After this summer, which was satisfactory in a dreary Middle East context, bookings for the winter are promising across all Egyptian destinations (beach resorts, archaeological sites, desert, etc.), Sherif Fathy also assures.
The minister also partly attributes the success of Egyptian tourism to the change in marketing strategy, marked by an increased use of AI and social networks.
The promotion of the diversity of offerings, the growing emphasis on on-site experiences being promoted, as well as joint actions undertaken with tour operators and airlines, according to the minister, convinced that Egypt can do even better on the French market and move from 500,000 to 1 million tourists.
“We have products for all categories of tourists, from low-cost stays but also a luxury offering that is increasingly important which also employs attractive prices.”
And he cites the growing number of upscale hotels opened by major international brands, including Accor, with whom Sherif Fathy was to meet again the CEO, Sébastien Bazin.
According to the minister, the arrival of several new museums as well as the solar eclipse planned for August 2, 2027 should continue to boost Egyptian tourism next year. “The Eclipse will be visible for 6 minutes in Luxor and in several places in the south of the country”, he told TourMaG.
The minister also partly attributes the success of Egyptian tourism to the change in marketing strategy, marked by an increased use of AI and social networks.
The promotion of the diversity of offerings, the growing emphasis on on-site experiences being promoted, as well as joint actions undertaken with tour operators and airlines, according to the minister, convinced that Egypt can do even better on the French market and move from 500,000 to 1 million tourists.
“We have products for all categories of tourists, from low-cost stays but also a luxury offering that is increasingly important which also employs attractive prices.”
And he cites the growing number of upscale hotels opened by major international brands, including Accor, with whom Sherif Fathy was to meet again the CEO, Sébastien Bazin.
According to the minister, the arrival of several new museums as well as the solar eclipse planned for August 2, 2027 should continue to boost Egyptian tourism next year. “The Eclipse will be visible for 6 minutes in Luxor and in several places in the south of the country”, he told TourMaG.
Published by Paula Boyer Head of LuxuryTravelMaG – TourMaG.com See all articles by Paula Boyer
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