The report, highlighted by a cabinet statement and released publicly in early June, showed that Egypt also posted an 8 percent increase in tourism revenues during the January-March period, while tourist arrivals across the Middle East fell by 14 percent, making it the only region worldwide to record a decline.
Egypt's performance significantly outpaced global tourism growth, which stood at 2 percent in the first quarter, with 307 million tourists travelling internationally, around six million more than during the same period in 2025.
The figures underscore the resilience of Egypt's tourism industry amid a challenging regional environment that has weighed heavily on travel demand across the Middle East.
According to UN Tourism, global tourism maintained positive momentum at the start of the year, with arrivals rising by a cumulative 2.5 percent in January and February.
However, growth slowed sharply in March to just 0.4 percent as conflict in the Middle East disrupted travel patterns and dented consumer confidence.
The organization warned that the conflict could reduce global tourism growth by one to two percentage points below its initial forecast of 3-4 percent for 2026, depending on its duration and geographical scope.
A survey conducted by UN Tourism's Panel of Tourism Experts identified the Middle East conflict as the leading challenge facing the sector this year, followed by rising transport and accommodation costs and broader economic pressures.
Nearly two-thirds of experts said the conflict was negatively affecting travel demand in their destinations.
While the Middle East registered a 14 percent decline in arrivals during the first quarter, Europe and Africa both posted 4 percent growth, Asia and the Pacific grew by 3 percent, and the Americas recorded a 2 percent increase.
Egypt's 16 percent rise in arrivals made it one of the strongest-performing tourism destinations globally and the standout performer in the MENA region.
The growth comes despite mounting geopolitical uncertainty and regional instability that have affected several neighbouring destinations.
The increase in tourism revenues also suggests that stronger visitor numbers translated into higher spending, providing an additional boost to Egypt's foreign currency earnings.
The UN Tourism findings align with more recent government data showing that Egypt's tourism sector has maintained its growth momentum beyond the first quarter.
According to figures released by the cabinet on 28 May, tourist arrivals rose by 7 percent during the first four months of 2026 to 6.1 million visitors, up from 5.7 million during the same period last year.
The government said tourist arrivals increased by 20.5 percent in 2025 compared with 2024, with growth continuing into 2026 despite regional challenges.
Egypt currently receives visitors from 179 countries and is implementing tailored promotional campaigns targeting individual markets as part of a strategy to attract 30 million tourists annually by 2030.
The report cited a range of attractions that draw visitors to Egypt, including the Grand Egyptian Museum, which officially opened in November 2025; the Giza Pyramids; Nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan; Alexandria's Mediterranean coastline; and diving destinations along the Red Sea.
Despite concerns over regional tensions, UN Tourism's latest Confidence Index remained in positive territory at 105 points for the May-August period, indicating cautious optimism for the peak summer travel season, although the reading was lower than the 117 points recorded for January-April.
For Egypt, the latest figures suggest the country has continued to strengthen its position as one of the region's leading tourism destinations, outperforming both regional and global trends even as geopolitical uncertainty reshapes international travel patterns.
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