Tourism Establishments Chamber chairman: Closing restaurants at 9 p.m. threatens nightlife tourism; energy savings must not harm the visitor experience
Yasser Al-Tagouri, chairman of the Chamber of Tourism Establishments and Restaurants, outlined the expected negative effects of the decision requiring shops and tourism restaurants to close at 9 p.m. He stressed that tourism establishments operate in a fundamentally different way from other businesses, warranting a review of how the decision applies to them, and called for all tourism establishments and restaurants to be exempted.
Speaking to CBC EXTRA, he discussed the implications for the sector while affirming the Chamber’s understanding of the state’s efforts to reduce energy consumption.
Al-Tagouri explained that tourism establishments and restaurants form an integral part of the tourism industry, alongside hotels and travel companies. They have advance contracts and tour programmes with travel companies, obliging them to provide services according to set schedules.
These establishments rely primarily on evening and night-time operations, which account for most of their business and revenue. They also play a key role in providing a complete visitor experience in Egypt.
He warned that imposing a 9 p.m. closing time could effectively eliminate nightlife tourism, one of the country’s main attractions, particularly in Cairo, internationally known as “the city that never sleeps”. Night-time activities are an important competitive asset, especially for Arab visitors and tour groups whose itineraries include evening programmes.
Al-Tagouri said the decision in its current form could conflict with the state’s strategy of attracting 30 million tourists annually. Achieving that goal requires a flexible, comprehensive tourism experience, particularly for evening activities. Reducing operating hours in this way could weaken the sector’s ability to meet those targets amid regional and international competition.
He noted that the decision was based on retail closing times, which normally end at 10 p.m.—a reduction of only one hour—whereas tourism establishments are officially permitted to operate into the early hours. This reflects a different operating model that cannot be governed by the same rules.
He added that strict time limits on tourism activities could damage perceptions of Egypt as a destination and reduce its competitiveness against destinations offering greater flexibility for nightlife, a fundamental part of the visitor experience.
Economic losses
Al-Tagouri said shorter operating hours would directly affect restaurants’ and tourism establishments’ ability to meet their financial commitments, particularly concession payments owed to the state, potentially exposing this vital activity to substantial losses.
Applying the closing measures to the sector would also force many establishments to reduce staff numbers, directly affecting thousands of families whose livelihoods depend on tourism.
A small number of establishments
Al-Tagouri said Egypt has only around 1,700 tourism restaurants out of more than 100,000 restaurants overall, a very small proportion. He questioned whether this share represents a significant burden on energy consumption or instead generates foreign currency whose value outweighs that burden.
He stressed that all tourism establishments are committed to electricity-saving measures and to technical and operational steps that balance their operating needs with conservation of the state’s resources.
He recalled that the state had exempted the tourism sector from electricity load-shedding decisions in 2024 to support tourism and maintain business activity, reinforcing the importance of continuing that approach now.
