Sherif Fathy: Growing interest among Czech tourists in visiting the North Coast and in luxury tourism
Tourism Minister: 500,000 Czech tourists visited Egypt in 2025, making it one of the top 15 source markets
The Czech Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators plans to hold its annual meeting in Cairo at the end of this year
As part of his official and professional visit to the Czech capital Prague at the end of last week, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy held a series of professional meetings with officials of the Czech Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators, a number of leading tour operators in the Czech market and officials of the largest online booking platform in Eastern Europe. The meetings aimed to increase inbound tourism to Egypt and strengthen cooperation with industry partners in the Czech market, one of the important European markets for Egypt as a destination.
The meetings discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority and industry partners in the Czech market, especially to develop the joint marketing campaigns being implemented, helping to achieve shared goals, increase the number of tourists from the Czech market and maximize tourism revenue.
Fathy also met Karel Havlíček, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, on the sidelines of his participation in the celebration held by the Egyptian Embassy to mark Egypt's National Day.
During the meeting, Sherif Fathy reviewed indicators of inbound tourism to Egypt from the Czech market, which recorded around 500,000 Czech tourists in 2025, a growth of 3% compared with 2024, noting that the Czech Republic is one of the 15 largest source markets for tourism to Egypt.
In his meeting with Czech tour operators, Fathy reviewed the growth indicators of inbound tourism to Egypt from various source markets, especially the Czech Republic, during the first half of this year, pointing to Egypt's unrivaled tourism diversity and the authenticity of the tourism experience it offers its visitors, as well as the notable shift the Egyptian destination is witnessing toward luxury tourism.
He expressed his pleasure at the growing interest among Czech tourists in visiting the North Coast, one of the promising destinations for luxury tourism, noting that air traffic to El Alamein International Airport rose by 540% last year compared with 2024, with the tourist season there extending from May to November.
The minister invited tour operators to organize integrated tourism programs for Egypt that combine the many tourism products and types the Egyptian destination offers, by combining cultural, beach and eco-tourism, with the possibility of including spiritual tourism in these programs, giving tourists the opportunity to enjoy a rich and integrated experience during their visit to Egypt.
For their part, officials of the Czech Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators expressed their appreciation for the tourism minister's keenness to communicate directly with industry partners and listen to their views and proposals. They stressed that Egypt remains the top destination for Czech tourists and enjoys competitive advantages in safety, quality of tourism services and excellent value for money, as well as year-round tourism assets, noting that Hurghada and Marsa Alam are among the destinations most favored by Czech tourists, with growing interest in other destinations such as Alexandria, the North Coast and Siwa Oasis.
They also stressed that demand for luxury tourism is growing notably in the Czech market, which requires stepping up the promotion of this product in the coming period. They also expressed their wish to hold the association's annual meeting in Cairo at the end of this year, in coordination with the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority.
The tour operators expect inbound tourism from the Czech market to Egypt to continue growing in the coming period, with this positive trend extending into 2027.
