Tourism in Egypt thrives as 7m visitors arrive in H1 2023 

Unsplash/Michael Starkie

Egypt received seven million tourists during the first half of 2023, according to tourism and antiquities minister Ahmed Issa.

The higher visitor numbers were driven by the cooperation of the private sector and the government agencies, Ahram Online newspaper reported quoting the minister.

In April, Egypt received a record high of 1.35 million tourists.

The country received 11.7 million tourists in 2022, a 46.2 percent rise from eight million in 2021.

The second largest economy in Africa has targeted tourism investments of EGP7.4 billion ($239.10 million) in 2022/2023, compared to EGP6.2 billion in 2021/2022.

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The government has unveiled several measures to stimulate the sector, including allowing 180 nationalities to obtain tourist visas on arrival to Egypt.

It further eased visa rules for visitors from China, Iran, India, Turkey, Morocco and Algeria.

In September, the government launched a new online platform to regulate the entry of yacht trips into the country.

Egypt hopes to attract 15 million tourists this year, the minister said in March as it launched a five-year tourist visa for $700.

The ministry expects the numbers will continue to grow and surpass the record high of 2010, when 13.7 million tourists visited Egypt and the sector accounted for 13.9 percent of GDP.