Egypt has been a tourism success story in recent years. Visitor numbers ballooned from 13 million in 2019 to 19 million last year, according to government figures. Tourism helps sustain almost three million jobs and brings more than $15bn a year into the country’s coffers.<\/p>\n
The surge in visitor numbers in recent years reflected the growing availability of cheap flights from Europe, as budget airlines and tour operators catered to holidaymakers attracted by Egypt’s year-round sunny climate.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, relative political stability over the past decade has been crucial in convincing tourists that the country is safe to visit.<\/p>\n
Conflict concerns<\/p>\n
The Egyptian government aims to expand tourist arrivals even further, with a target of reaching 30 million visitors by 2030.<\/p>\n
Yet tourism is notoriously sensitive to events beyond host country control – and the conflict in the Middle East is the latest geopolitical headache that threatens Egypt’s ambitions.<\/p>\n
Egypt has not come under attack at any point. Unlike its neighbours on the other side of the Red Sea that have been struck by Iranian drones and missiles, Egypt does not host any US military bases, suggesting there is little reason for tourists to be concerned.<\/p>\n
But the US Department of State included Egypt in a list of 14 countries from which it issued a “DEPART NOW” alert on 2 March. Before the conflict, Britain and France both advised against travelling to some remote parts of the country, but have not issued any guidance against visiting the main tourist hotspots due to the regional conflict.<\/p>\n
Speaking to African Business in late March, before the fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran took effect, Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, said less than 5% of visitors had cancelled their bookings as a result of the conflict. He insists that Egypt is “completely safe”.<\/p>\n
Yet even a 5% cancellation rate would represent a significant blow. And there is some anecdotal evidence that the impact might be more serious. Local media reports suggest a 20-25% decline in hotel occupancy rates compared to last year, while a handful of tour operators proactively cancelled trips at the start of the conflict.<\/p>\n
Mohamed Nabil, founder of destination management company Rove World, reports that 70% of his company’s bookings have been cancelled.<\/p>\n
Depending on how long the crisis continues, the major concern for the rest of 2026 and potentially into 2027 is that demand for new bookings will be affected by perceived safety fears and by the rising cost and constrained supply of jet fuel.<\/p>\n
UK-based budget airline EasyJet has stated publicly that bookings to Egypt are down, with holidaymakers preferring destinations in the western Mediterranean that are more distant from the conflict.<\/p>\n
The impact on flight costs will become more severe the longer supplies of jet fuel from the Gulf are impeded. Airlines mostly lock-in fuel costs well in advance by pre-purchasing supplies, although a marked upward increase in widely expected by the end of this year’s summer season.<\/p>\n
Photo credit: Ben Payton<\/p>\n
Escaping the resort <\/p>\n
While Egypt’s tourism industry faces an uncertain year ahead, the sector is on a positive longer-term trajectory.<\/p>\n
Millions of foreign tourists descend on Egypt’s Red Sea coast each year,but many tourists barely leave the all-inclusive resorts operated by foreign-owned package holiday companies during their time in Egypt. This is a source of frustration for some.<\/p>\n
“Egypt is very rich when it comes to biodiversity and natural assets,” says Mohammed Elewa, a project manager for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt, and co-founder of sustainable tourism development company Green Planet. “However, we’re misusing our national assets. We’re trying to push more and more for mass tourism, however we’re very rich when it comes to ecotourism.”<\/p>\n
A short drive inland from the resort city of Hurghada, tourists that do want to step away from the sun loungers and all-you-can-eat buffets have the opportunity to enter into a completely different world.<\/p>\n
The near-emptiness of the vast desert that lies between the Nile and the Red Sea offers a stark contrast with the crammed beaches of the coast. But the land is not completely uninhabited. The Maaza Bedouin people still live in the deserts outside Hurghada, maintaining elements of their traditional nomadic lifestyle.<\/p>\n
Green Planet, in partnership with the TUI Care Foundation, is implementing the ‘Maaza Colourful Cultures Hub’ project in an effort to extend some of the benefits of tourism to the local people. The hub provides a space to train Maaza artisans and gives members of the community the chance to earn revenue from selling artisan products to tourists, who travel across the sand by all-terrain vehicle to reach the hub.<\/p>\n
Mahmoud Atiya, CEO of Green Planet, says the project is part of a vision “of having this community-based tourism model being integrated within the whole tourist value chain”. Small-scale hospitality businesses, along with local companies offering tourist activities and their suppliers, can all benefit from a more sustainable approach to developing tourism, he says.<\/p>\n
Tourism that shows the real Egypt<\/p>\n
Of course, not all tourists in Egypt are content to spend their time in beach resorts.<\/p>\n
The country also offers an unbeatable range of historical treasures, including the Great Pyramid at Giza just outside Cairo, the Valley of the Kings near Luxor and the ancient city of Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast.<\/p>\n
The official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza last November was a major milestone in the country’s efforts to enhance its appeal for visitors interested in antiquities. The museum holds 100,000 artefacts and is expected to welcome up to 8 million visitors a year.<\/p>\n
A range of smaller businesses are also trying to promote “experience tourism”.<\/p>\n
One of these is Rove World, a start-up destination management company that takes visitors on tours to explore the country’s nature, cultural sites and agricultural lifestyles.<\/p>\n
“We’re starting to show the hidden gems of Egypt,” says co-founder Mohamed Nabil.<\/p>\n
Whereas traditional tourists often are separated from the communities they visit, he says experience tourists can “add to the land”, such as by helping to harvest fruits or planting trees.<\/p>\n
Even on the Red Sea coast, large swathes of which are dominated by concrete hotels, some entrepreneurs have not given up hope that tourists can be tempted by more “authentic” experiences.<\/p>\n
Mostafa Sebaq Beshir is the owner of the boutique El Quseir Hotel, which occupies a 120-year-old building in an ancient Red Sea port. His aim, he says, is provide a “local experience” that gives visitors a glimpse of the “real Egypt”.<\/p>\n
While no-one expects boutique hotels to challenge the dominance of the Red Sea resorts, Sebaq Beshir’s venture has been successful enough that he is now considering an expansion into nearby buildings.<\/p>\n
Photo credit: Ben Payton<\/p>\n
Calls for government backing<\/p>\n
Green Planet’s Mahmoud Atiya says more work is needed on certifications and licensing for small ecotourist businesses. Egypt lacks a “flexible framework” to support tourism SMEs in operating legally, he adds, noting that his company is engaging with the government on building certification schemes.<\/p>\n
“The institutional and legal framework is tailored towards mass tourism in Egypt,” agrees Mohammed Elewa.<\/p>\n
He points to a lengthy delay in producing guidelines for the construction and management of ecolodges and for tourism concessions in protected areas. “We’ve been advancing, but with the support of the government, we would have been in another place.”<\/p>\n
Nor is he convinced that the government is committed to changing the paradigm. “Mass tourism is safe,” says Elewa. Ecotourism, by contrast, is a much more logistically challenging enterprise, potentially involving more coordination in awarding permits and managing sensitive areas.<\/p>\n
For now, the reality remains that Egypt is positioning itself primarily as a beach tourism destination. But, as Elewa says, if even a small proportion of the 19 million visitors can be tempted to try something different, “that’s still a big number”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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