Saifaddin Galal
Research Expert North Africa
Egypt's travel and tourism industry is one of the country’s leading economic sectors, contributing about 32 billion U.S. dollars to the GDP in 2022. As of the same year, international tourist spending has surpassed domestic spending for the first time since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions. Furthermore, the travel and tourism sector is also a major employer in the country, with a workforce of almost 2.4 million in 2022.
The rich history and marine life attract tourists
As a travel destination, Egypt caters to every budget with is tourist attractions and climate. A main appeal for people visiting are the pyramids and ancient historical sites from the Pharaonic reign. Located on the south of the Mediterranean Sea, the country offers a warm climate all year around. Besides beach holidays, the Red Sea is a popular destination for snorkeling and diving. As of 2022, the country received the highest number of international tourists on the African continent, mainly attracting European and interregional tourists from Arab states. With regards to international tourism receipts, Egypt also ranked highest in Africa, with 12.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.The Egyptian tourism sector faced a series of negative events
Egypt's tourism sector has been negatively affected by several factors since 2011, including the politically tumultuous period of the Arab Spring, a Russian plane crash, and the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Egypt was at the forefront of the Arab Spring from the beginning of 2011. Since the protests, the country has seen the overthrow of two regimes. Furthermore, a Russian plane crashed in the Sinai Peninsula in late 2015, with international actors claiming it was a bomb that downed the aircraft, while Egyptian authorities have denied the claims. Travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic also took its toll on Egypt's tourism sector. This has been strongly reflected in the declining tourism expenditure from 2011 to 2016, before recovering between 2017 and 2019 and dropping once again in 2020. Moreover, the occupancy rate of hotels and similar establishments was significantly lower between 2011 and 2016 compared to previous years. Tourist spending in Egypt was mainly for leisure activities, with over 90 percent of the tourist spending in 2022.
