Fathy: Inbound tourism to Egypt grew 4% from January to September 2026
Egypt takes part in the Tourism Expo Japan fair in Japan this September
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy today received Japan's Ambassador to Cairo, Iwai Fumio, and his accompanying delegation, to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between Egypt and Japan in tourism and antiquities and boost tourist arrivals from the Japanese market to Egypt.
The meeting covered a number of ideas and visions for promoting the Egyptian destination in the Japanese market, including organizing familiarization trips for a group of Japanese influencers to visit Egypt and get a close look at its diverse tourism assets, products and experiences.
For his part, Sherif Fathy reviewed inbound tourism indicators from various markets, noting 4% growth from January to September this year compared with the same period last year, and expressing his expectation that the coming winter season will perform well.
He pointed to the notable growth in the number of tourists arriving from the Japanese market in the first half of this year, reflecting growing Japanese interest in visiting Egypt.
The Japanese ambassador noted that the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum had a clear positive impact on the number of Japanese tourists arriving in Egypt, given the strong interest of Japanese travelers in the museum and ancient Egyptian civilization.
The meeting also touched on the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' participation in the international tourism fair Tourism Expo Japan, scheduled for 24 to 26 September. The minister stressed the importance of taking part in international tourism fairs as a key tool for promoting the Egyptian destination and for direct contact with industry partners and tour operators, helping to attract more arrivals from target markets, including Japan.
At the end of the meeting, both sides stressed the importance of continued coordination and cooperation in the coming period to strengthen tourism and antiquities ties between Egypt and Japan and make use of the opportunities available to increase travel between the two countries.
