UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH OF FOREIGN TOURISTS NUMBERS IN EGYPT

Egypt’s tourism industry has seen a significant increase in the number of foreign tourists recently. Last year, the country welcomed approximately 14.9 million international visitors, an increase of 27 percent compared to the previous year. This was the highest number of tourists in Egypt’s history, following the unrest in the region, especially the war that started in Gaza on October 7.

In the statement made by Egyptian tourism authorities, it was revealed that despite various difficulties, record numbers were reached in the volume of tourists coming to Egypt in 2023.

In the statement, it was stated that there was strong demand from the tourism movement in the fourth quarter of last year and 3.6 million foreign tourists came to Egypt.

However, according to the statement of Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa, the number of tourists visiting Egypt in the fourth quarter of 2023 was 600 thousand less than the target. This was due to the war against Gaza, which made it difficult to obtain the expected figures for this time of year.

Egypt set a target of 15 million tourists last year and aims to reach 18 million by 2024. Although the country failed to meet its target for the fourth quarter of 2023, it broke the previous record of 14.731 million tourists set in 2010.

There was an increase in Egypt’s tourism revenues in the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and this revenue increased by 26.8 percent to 13.6 billion dollars. The reason for this growth is that the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine also affected the tourism sector, which is now recovering. Thanks to this increase in tourism, the country’s foreign exchange sector is booming.

Online visa that will revitalize the tourism sector

Last June, the Egyptian government made a major effort to increase the number of foreign tourists by issuing a new five-year, $700 multiple-entry visa. The aim of the initiative is to encourage the tourism sector and make it easier for foreigners to visit the country, thus increasing income and having a positive impact on the country’s economy. Egypt currently allows citizens of 78 countries to obtain an online visa for $25 for single entry or $60 for multiple entry. You can apply for a visa on the website of the Egyptian Ministry of Internal Affairs.