Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, held a series of professional meetings in the British capital London with a number of officials and representatives of tour operators and travel companies working in the British market and bringing tourist traffic to Egypt, as well as a number of companies specializing in organizing international events. This came at the start of the minister's current visit to London to open the "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" antiquities exhibition at its seventh stop.
During these meetings, Fathy reviewed indicators of inbound tourism to Egypt in 2025 and since the start of this year, noting that last year saw a 21% increase in the number of tourists arriving in Egypt compared with 2024, along with a notable rise in tourism revenue and tourist nights.
The meeting also discussed the performance of the British market and the number of tourists arriving from the United Kingdom to Egypt in 2025, with the minister noting that British tourist numbers grew by 16% compared with 2024, with expectations that this growth will continue this year.
Fathy reviewed the ministry's vision and strategy, which is based on highlighting the unique tourism diversity of the Egyptian destination, unmatched worldwide, noting the importance of making use of this diversity by combining different tourism types and products, such as combining beach and cultural tourism, the North Coast and Siwa Oasis, or spiritual tourism through visiting the points of the Holy Family route with Nile cruises, as well as linking Saint Catherine and Sharm El Sheikh, among others.
The minister spoke about the North Coast and New Alamein City as promising tourist destinations that have begun to attract tourists from around the world, noting that the number of charter flights to Alamein rose sharply by 540% last year, and that the region is served by three international airports.
He noted that Sphinx International Airport is only about two and a half hours from the North Coast, giving British tourists the chance to combine a visit to the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Giza Pyramids and then head to the coast to also enjoy the beach tourism product.
Sherif Fathy added that many tour operators in various markets confirmed during his meetings with them that they have already begun designing and marketing tour programs to Egypt that combine more than one experience, which has helped attract new segments of tourists.
He also reviewed the scale of integrated tourism development on the North Coast and its major tourism projects, as well as the many hotels and resorts attracting high-spending tourists.
For their part, the officials and representatives of the tour operators reviewed the scale of their business in the Egyptian market and the growth achieved in 2025, along with their future plans to maintain growth rates, stressing continuous coordination and cooperation with the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority to boost tourism promotion of the Egyptian destination in the British market.
The meetings were attended by Dr. Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority; Rana Gohar, the Minister's Advisor for Communication and External Relations and General Supervisor of the General Department of International Relations and Agreements; Mohamed Mohsen, Director of the Americas and Iberian Peninsula Unit at the Authority; and Yasmine Samy, First Secretary at the Egyptian Embassy in London.
