Egypt achieved record numbers for inbound tourism in 2023 despite various challenges, according to Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa.
He said in a cabinet meeting on January 17 that the country received 14.906 million tourists in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 14.731 million tourists in 2010.
He also said that the last quarter of 2023 saw a significant surge in tourism movement, which was the second highest in history, with 3.6 million tourists arriving in Egypt, an increase of about 8 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.
Issa noted however that the number of tourists fell by 600,000 compared to what was expected for this time of the year due to the war on Gaza.
He attributed the record numbers of inbound tourism to the achievement of the goals related to the National Tourism Strategy, which helped in the development of policies, which stimulate the supply side of the Egyptian tourism product, reformulate the relationship with the private sector and build trust. These actions improved the sector’s performance and increased the dollar revenue for the state.
The minister said that the Supreme Council of Antiquities had achieved a remarkable financial reform and increased its revenues by fivefold in the fiscal year 2023/2024 compared to the year 2021/2022. It also reduced its reliance on the state’s general budget from two-thirds of its expenditure to zero.
He also mentioned the efforts to increase the available aviation capacity, with the goal of tripling it by 2028.
Issa added that the number of incentive airline seats arriving in Egypt rose from 561,852 in August 2022 to 698,779 in October 2023.
He also highlighted the efforts to expand tourist destinations and activities, increase the number of hotel rooms of different categories, and cooperate with the relevant authorities regarding air transport and tourist visas.
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