Arab Finance: Egypt has welcomed 3.9 million tourists during the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, marking a 25% increase year on year (YoY), Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy told Asharq Business.

Fathy noted that Egypt plans to add 18,000 new hotel rooms this year to meet rising demand.

In 2024, the country recorded a total of 15.7 million tourist arrivals, up around 5% from 2023, despite regional geopolitical instability that weighed on the sector.

Tourism, a vital source of hard currency, generated close to $16 billion in revenues last year.

Fathy also announced the rollout of a new tourism promotion campaign targeting eight European markets in an effort to attract new visitors while maintaining existing ones.

The number of tourists is projected to rise by another 8% by the end of 2025.

Egypt aims to double its tourist count to 30 million by 2030 and raise annual tourism revenues to $24 billion.

To support this target, authorities plan to add over 200,000 new rooms within the next three to four years, expanding on the current inventory of about 230,000 rooms.