Hotels and tourist resorts across Egypt are seeing an unprecedented boom in inbound tourism from major markets, particularly during the 2026 New Year holidays, with occupancy reaching 100% at most hotels and a minimum of 85%.
Wael Abu El-Saud, board member and treasurer of the Chamber of Hotel Establishments, said average hotel occupancy across Egypt's tourist cities ranges between 85% and 100% during the 2026 New Year celebrations.
In exclusive statements to Travel Yalla News, Abu El-Saud revealed that average occupancy at Cairo hotels exceeds 90%, with some fully booked at 100%. He explained that the nationalities currently accounting for the largest share of tourist demand in Cairo are Italian, American, French, British, Japanese and German, followed by Spanish, Brazilian, Indian and Chinese.
He added that most tourist resorts in Sharm El-Sheikh, Hurghada and Marsa Alam achieved 100% occupancy, while the others exceeded 90%, underlining the strength of Egypt as a tourist destination and its rising growth and demand rates, especially during holiday periods.
Cairo Hotels and Tourist Resorts
In a related context, Hussein Shoukry, regional director of Safir Hotels & Resorts in Egypt, said occupancy at Cairo hotels ranges from 95% to 100%, adding that the hotels are keen to create a special atmosphere for guests for the new year, with some hosting concerts by famous singers from Egypt and the Arab world and others staging international shows on New Year's Eve. He noted that resorts in Sharm El-Sheikh and Dahab achieved 100% occupancy.
Shoukry pointed to higher accommodation prices at hotels across Egypt's tourist cities compared with last year, with the average room rate reaching $140 per night on regular days and $200 at most hotels over New Year.
Shoukry explained that the nationalities with a strong presence in Cairo at present are Spanish and Chinese, as well as Saudi and Emirati, adding that there is also notable demand for Egypt from Kazakh tourists.
For his part, Karim Mohsen, vice chairman of the board of the Chamber of Travel and Tourism Companies and Agencies, said most hotels in tourist cities are seeing average occupancy of 100%, mostly from Spanish tourists, who are very keen on celebrating New Year in Cairo and on the floating hotels between Luxor and Aswan, as well as German, Italian, French and British tourists.
The chamber's vice chairman added that resorts in Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh are seeing a strong presence of German, Italian, Polish and Czech tourists.
Sharm El-Sheikh
As for Sharm El-Sheikh, Amr Abdel Samie, general manager of the Safir Sharm Waterfalls hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh, confirmed that occupancy over the New Year reached 100% at most hotels, with some exceeding 90%, noting that Russian tourists are in the lead, followed by tourists from Kazakhstan, Britain, Poland, Italy, the Czech Republic and Ukraine.
Abdel Samie added that the tourism boom Sharm El-Sheikh is witnessing has helped push hotel accommodation prices up by 20% compared with the same period last year.
Floating Hotels in Luxor and Aswan
Elsewhere, Nile cruises between Luxor and Aswan are seeing a notable boom. Mohamed Omar, general manager of the Royal Viking floating hotel, confirmed that the New Year marks the peak of the winter tourist season, bringing 100% occupancy at floating hotels. He explained that Italian and Spanish tourists account for the largest share of the nationalities currently in Luxor and Aswan, noting that the boom will continue until January 10, and that accommodation prices rose by 50% over the New Year.
