Record-Breaking 14.9 Million Tourists Have Visited Egypt in 2023

This year, Egypt has experienced an unprecedented surge in incoming tourism, reaching a record-breaking 14.9 million tourists in 2023 despite numerous obstacles, according to Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities. The previous record for incoming tourism to Egypt stood at 14.7 million tourists in 2010.

Despite falling 600,000 tourists short of targeted figures, Egypt welcomed 3.6 million tourists in the fourth quarter of 2023. This number reflects an 8% increase compared to the corresponding quarter in 2022.

The record-breaking influx of tourists to Egypt has been attributed to the success of the national tourism strategy, which include policies aimed at energising the supply side of the Egyptian tourism product, as well as restructuring relationships with the private sector in order to exert a positive influence on the sector's overall performance and the state's dollar revenue.

Official initiatives are also underway to triple the existing airline capacity by 2028. The number of stimulated and incoming airline seats to Egypt rose from 561,852 seats in August 2022 to 698,779 seats in October 2023.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities emphasised the impact of financial reforms implemented by the Supreme Council of Antiquities, revealing a fivefold increase in revenues during the fiscal year 2023/2024 as compared to 2021/2022. Notably, these reforms eliminated the council's dependence on the state general budget, reducing it to zero.