Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism is making a concerted effort to boost the country’s tourism sector, aiming to attract 30 million tourists by 2028, according to a recent announcement by Tourism Minister Ahmed Issa. This ambitious target was discussed at a meeting held by the Senate Committee on Culture, Tourism, and Media on Sunday.
Issa stated that reaching this goal will necessitate increasing the number of hotel rooms to half a million, an increase from the current number of 212,000 rooms. This expansion is expected to require investments of no less than 30 billion Egyptian pounds, excluding land values.
The ministry’s plan focuses on four primary tourism products: family tourism, beach tourism, adventure tourism, such as safaris and diving, and cultural tourism, which includes historical tourism and archaeological tourism. The tourism programs aim to target tourists from 18 specific countries.
The minister outlined the state’s efforts in developing museums and archaeological sites, supported by 2 billion Egyptian pounds from the state treasury. A total of 3.2 billion Egyptian pounds was spent on museum and archaeological development last year, underlining Egypt’s commitment to its cultural heritage.
As part of the digital transformation efforts, the Ministry has increased ticket prices and programs for tourists since May, in line with inflation rates. This move also promotes cashless transactions. The Minister also mentioned the activation of electronic visas, improvement in the quality of tourism products, and re-evaluation of hotel star ratings.
The role of private industry in the tourism sector was also highlighted, with the Minister stating, “I believe in the role of the private sector, and the state’s role is to ensure the integrity of competitiveness and provide the highest quality of tourist service.”
The Minister added that collaboration between the Ministries of Tourism and Culture is key to identifying cultural sites and organizing events, exhibitions, and festivals, with certain bodies taking charge of these events starting from 2024.
Mahmoud Muslim, the head of the Senate Committee on Culture, Tourism, Media, and Antiquities, praised the vision of the Ministry of Tourism, noting its clarity and successful implementation thus far. He added that the Ministry’s plan includes numerous elements, such as focusing on four types of tourism, targeting 18 countries with Egyptian tourism programs, and encouraging the private sector in the tourism industry.
