The Cabinet's Media Center reviewed developments in Egypt's travel and tourism sector, including growth in the number of hotels and rooms under construction, inbound tourism and tourism revenue indicators, and international institutions' forecasts for the sector's performance in the coming period.
The sector's indicators showed its ability to keep growing and withstand regional tensions, alongside an expansion in hotel capacity through more rooms and hotels, coinciding with expectations that the sector's indicators will improve in the coming years.
Data published by the center, citing W Hospitality Group, showed that the number of hotels under construction in Egypt rose to 185 hotels with a total of 46,000 rooms in 2026, compared with 143 hotels with 33,900 rooms in 2025.
It said that for the ninth year in a row, hotel projects under construction in Egypt have made notable leaps: there were 109 hotels with 26,200 rooms under construction in 2024, 103 hotels with 24,900 rooms in 2023 and 85 hotels with 21,300 rooms in 2022.
Hotel projects under construction stood at 67 hotels with 19,300 rooms in 2021, 54 hotels with 17,200 rooms in 2020, 51 hotels with 15,200 rooms in 2019 and 43 hotels with 13,600 rooms in 2018.
According to Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities data, the number of tourists rose to 12.7 million from January to August 2026, compared with 12.2 million in the same period of 2025.
Tourism revenue reached $12 billion from January to August 2026, compared with $11.8 billion in the same period of 2025.
Tourism sector indicators according to international institutions
The Cabinet's Media Center highlighted the World Travel & Tourism Council's forecast that Egypt's travel and tourism sector will grow by 3% in 2026 despite geopolitical tensions, with the sector's GDP expected to rise to $35.4 billion in 2026 from $34.4 billion in 2025, and employment in travel and tourism expected to rise to 3.03 million in 2026 from 2.97 million in 2025.
The center's report also pointed to the International Monetary Fund's forecasts, which said Egypt's tourism sector has remained resilient despite uncertainty linked to regional tensions, with tourism revenue expected to rise from $19.9 billion in fiscal year 2025-2026 to $20.8 billion in 2026-2027.
The forecasts see Egypt's tourism sector generating revenue of $22.9 billion in 2027-2028 and $25.4 billion in 2028-2029, rising to $27.9 billion in 2029-2030 and reaching $29.8 billion in 2030-2031, according to the Egyptian Cabinet's official Facebook page.
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