Visitor numbers remain resilient despite regional disruption, while tourism revenues rise 14.9% to US$14.4 billion in the first nine months of the 2025/26 fiscal year
Egypt’s tourism sector has maintained its growth momentum in 2026, with international visitor numbers approaching 9 million during the first half of the year, despite the impact of regional conflict, higher fuel costs and disruption to air connectivity.
The latest performance follows a particularly strong start to the year. According to UN Tourism, international tourist arrivals to Egypt increased by 16% year on year in the first quarter of 2026, while tourism revenues rose by 8%. By comparison, international arrivals across the Middle East declined by 14% during the same period.
Government figures show that Egypt welcomed 6.1 million tourists between January and April, up 7% from 5.7 million during the same period in 2025.
The strong first-quarter performance subsequently moderated as geopolitical tensions affected aviation and traveller sentiment. Tourist arrivals in April fell by approximately 16% year on year, according to figures attributed to Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy. Rising fuel prices and reductions in flight frequencies by some airlines added further pressure to international travel flows.
Government moves to protect air connectivity
Egypt has responded to the disruption with measures aimed at maintaining international air capacity and protecting connectivity to its tourism destinations.
Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy has highlighted aviation incentives and other measures designed to encourage airlines to maintain or increase capacity, including reductions in certain ground-service costs and incentives linked to additional seats.
The measures are particularly significant for a destination whose tourism growth has been closely linked to the expansion of international air services. In 2025, Egypt recorded nearly 19 million international tourist arrivals, an increase of around 21% from the previous year, with charter-flight traffic rising by 32%. Flights connected Egyptian destinations with 193 cities worldwide during the year.
Tourism revenues reach US$14.4 billion
Egypt’s tourism performance has also translated into higher foreign-exchange earnings.
Tourism revenues reached approximately US$14.4 billion during the first nine months of the 2025/26 fiscal year, covering July 2025 to March 2026. The figure represents a 14.9% increase from approximately US$12.5 billion recorded during the corresponding period a year earlier.
European markets remained the dominant source of international visitors, accounting for 69.2% of arrivals during the nine-month period. Russia ranked as Egypt’s largest individual source market, followed by Germany. Other important European markets include Italy, France and the UK, while Saudi Arabia remains a significant regional source market.
The revenue performance underscores the importance of tourism to Egypt’s wider economy, particularly as the country seeks to strengthen foreign-currency inflows and attract further investment in hotels, aviation and tourism infrastructure.
Egypt targets 30 million tourists by 2030
The latest growth comes as Egypt pursues an ambitious strategy to attract 30 million international visitors annually by 2030.
The government has increasingly focused on diversifying both tourism products and source markets, rather than relying on a single promotional approach. Campaigns and commercial partnerships are being tailored to individual markets, with cooperation involving tour operators, airlines and international digital platforms.
Egypt’s strategy also builds on the momentum generated by the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, alongside continued investment in archaeological sites, airports, hotels and emerging destinations.
The country’s 2025 performance provided a strong foundation for the strategy. Nearly 19 million tourists visited Egypt last year, marking a record and a 21% increase over 2024. The government has described the result as evidence of growing international confidence in Egypt as a destination offering a combination of cultural heritage, beach tourism, leisure and other travel experiences.
Despite the challenging regional environment, Egypt’s tourism sector has therefore entered the second half of 2026 from a position of relative strength. The ability to preserve air connectivity, diversify markets and sustain visitor demand will be critical as the country seeks to convert the current momentum into further growth towards its 2030 tourism target.
Editorial verification: The key statistics in this article have been checked against Egyptian government sources and UN Tourism. The US$14.4 billion revenue figure refers specifically to July 2025–March 2026, rather than January–June 2026. The January–April arrival figure of 6.1 million is officially documented; the approximately 9 million H1 figure is reported in secondary coverage but should be described as an approximate total rather than a formally audited six-month figure.
