Egypt's Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Issa, has revealed that Egypt aims to attract three million Chinese tourists annually by 2028 as part of an ambitious plan to increase its share of China's tourism market.
Currently, Egypt receives between 4,000 and 5,000 Chinese tourists per week. The minister stated that while this is a good number compared to records, he believes the country can attract more Chinese visitors.
Issa has expressed that Egypt must have more flights and hotel rooms available to cater to more Chinese visitors. He invited Chinese hoteliers and investors to invest in Egypt and urged Chinese tour operators to organize trips to Egypt.
In 2019, over 150 million Chinese tourists traveled internationally. However, the number of Chinese visitors to Egypt has never exceeded 300,000 a year since 2000, when foreign tourist arrivals began being counted. The Egyptian Minister stated that better cooperation between the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and its Chinese counterpart is necessary to increase the number of Chinese tourists. Chinese investors and tour operators can also play a vital role in achieving this goal.
Egypt plans to offer discovery trips to Chinese tourism vendors and media to promote Egyptian culture. According to the minister, the country will also announce new incentives for hotel investors.
Tourism is a significant industry for Egypt, contributing around 12% to its gross domestic product (GDP). According to official data, the number of tourists visiting Egypt plummeted from over 13 million in 2019 to approximately 3.7 million in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the figures started to rise gradually in 2020 and reached eight million visitors in 2021, then increased to 11.7 million in 2022.