Tourism

After years of recovery following the 2011 revolution, Egypt is once again a sought-after tourist destination. In 2019 the sector contributed LE496.4bn ($30.6bn) to GDP, representing around 9.3% of the total, a 0.2% increase on the previous year. Although the spread of Covid-19 significantly impacted the industry in the first half of 2020, it is expected that growth will resume in 2021. Rising visitor numbers will be supported by the construction of Capital International Airport, which will serve the new capital city starting in late 2020 or early 2021. In addition, new flight routes are expected to open, connecting the country’s resorts and archaeological sites in order to draw in more leisure tourists, which account for around 86% of total visitor spending. It is hoped that the move to establish Egypt as a world leader in antiquities tourism, alongside the development of traditional sun-and-sea offerings, will reinvigorate the sector.