Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy revealed that Egypt welcomed 9 million tourists in the first half of 2026, achieving growth of 4% compared with the same period of 2025, despite the regional conditions the region has witnessed.
Speaking at a press conference today, Fathy explained that one of the reasons for Egypt's success in achieving growth in tourist traffic despite regional events was the agreement with airlines on flexible cancellations without penalties and maintaining flight schedules.
Fathy noted that German tourists did not cancel their travel to Egypt but instead went to nearby places within Europe, and that the emergence of the fuel crisis and the reduction in the number of flights, especially relatively long ones, significantly affected the number of tourist trips to Egypt. Despite this, El Alamein International Airport recorded a 30% increase in charter flights targeting the North Coast, one of the most promising tourist destinations, in the first half of this year, noting that there is demand for last-minute bookings.
The minister added that the adjustments made to the flight incentive program played a key role in maintaining and increasing charter flights to Egypt, stressing that, as attested and praised by all international tourism and travel organizations, Egypt's response was proactive and successful in dealing with the crisis.
