The Egyptian Tourism Authority reported that British arrivals to Egypt reached approximately 1.1 million in 2025, marking a 17% increase over previous years. Egypt recorded a total of 19 million international visitors in 2025, with around nine million arrivals in the first half of 2026, underscoring sustained growth in the tourism sector.
Egypt Promotes Multi-Centre Holidays to Extend Visitor Stays
Dr Ahmed Youssef, Chief Executive of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, emphasized the country’s strategy to encourage UK travellers to experience multiple Egyptian destinations during one trip. The approach focuses on longer stays, repeat visits, and combining the Red Sea resorts with cultural hubs like Cairo, Luxor, and Nile
Valley, as well as the Mediterranean coast for summer breaks. “Our ambition for the UK is about value as much as volume,” Youssef stated, highlighting the goal to attract visitors with diverse itineraries.
Travel Agents Advised to Diversify Egypt Offerings Beyond Resorts and Cruises
Dr Youssef called on UK travel agents and tour operators to expand their offerings beyond traditional resort and Nile cruise packages. He pointed to emerging opportunities such as the fully opened Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo and growth in premium Nile experiences including dahabiyya cruises. He also noted potential in diving and nature tourism in Marsa Alam, Siwa, and the Western Desert, and the developing Mediterranean coast
sector. “For agents, the opportunity is to look beyond selling one established version of Egypt and instead build holidays around the different experiences that now exist across the country,” he said.
Jet2 to Launch Year-Round UK-Egypt Flights as New Hotels Expand Capacity
Increasing aviation capacity is central to Egypt’s tourism growth plan. Jet2 is scheduled to launch year-round flights from six UK airports to Egypt starting February 2027, facilitating direct access to popular destinations. In addition, approximately 7,600 new hotel rooms are expected to open across about 30 properties in 2027, spread over Luxor, Aswan, Sharm el-Sheikh, Marsa Alam, Cairo, and Egypt’s North Coast region. This expansion supports greater multi-centre holiday
options and longer visits.
2027 Total Solar Eclipse Over Luxor Creates Unique Tourism Opportunity
Egypt plans to leverage the total solar eclipse on August 2, 2027, which will pass directly over Luxor, producing around six minutes and 22 seconds of totality spanning the Nile Valley. Dr Youssef described this event as a distinctive attraction likely to increase bookings in Luxor, encouraging agents to consider 2027 as a year offering multiple novel reasons for visiting Egypt. “The eclipse is one of the clearest examples, and Luxor is likely to book up early for that week,” he said. He also urged for enhanced direct UK flight connections to Luxor and Marsa Alam
from UK regional airports to support these initiatives.
