Egypt plans increase tourism investments by 60% in FY 2025/2026: Planning minister

Ahram Online , Thursday 30 Oct 2025

Egypt plans to raise investments in the tourism and antiquities sector by about 60 percent to EGP 116.2 billion ($2.4 billion) in the fiscal year 2025/26, up from EGP 72.4 billion ($1.5 billion) in 2024/25, Planning and Economic Development Minister Rania Al-Mashat said.

File Photo: A visitor poses for a picture at the Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III in Medinet Habu, on the west bank of the Nile outside Egypt's southern city of Luxor. AFP

Private sector spending is expected to account for around 99.5 percent of the total, Minister Al-Mashat added in a ministry report outlining its annual development plan, as the country prepares for the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).

Al-Mashat said tourism remains one of Egypt’s main engines of economic growth, supported by its varied attractions and growing international appeal.

She said the sector grew by 17.3 percent during the last fiscal year, supported by major investments in infrastructure and hotel expansion.

As a result, the number of tourists visiting Egypt rose to 17.4 million in the 2024/25 fiscal year, up from 15 million the previous year, while the number of tourist nights increased to 179 million from 154 million, she explained.

Egypt aims to attract around 19 million tourists and raise overnight stays to 193 million by June 2026, according to the report.

The report also addressed the geographical distribution of inbound tourism to Egypt by region, with visitors from Europe making up 58 percent of the total 14.9 million tourists who came to Egypt in 2023.

Visitors from the Middle East came second, representing 22.3 percent, followed by 4 percent from North America and 15.7 percent from other regions.

Germany, Russia, and Saudi Arabia were the top source markets in 2024, the report added.

The report also noted expansion in hotel capacity, with the number of rooms rising 4.3 percent to about 228,100 as of the end of 2024.

This expansion comes within the strategic framework of attracting tourists by developing key tourism products and increasing the capacity of hotels and tourism establishments.

All eyes are on the GEM opening, slated for Saturday. Several world leaders are expected to attend the event.

The GEM will be the world’s largest archaeological museum complex.

Covering more than 490,000 square metres, the long-awaited museum will display over 100,000 artefacts spanning 5,000 years of Egyptian civilization, including the full collection of King Tutankhamun’s treasures, shown together for the first time.