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More than 110 Egyptian exhibitors at ITB 2023

With more than 110 exhibitors Egypt was the strongest country at the world’s leading travel trade show. Tourism minister Ahmed Issa attended the fair
ITB Berlin 2023 has come to a successful end: With around 5,500 exhibitors from 161 countries, the world's leading travel trade show maintains its position as the leading platform for the global travel industry.

The industry expects 2023 to be a record year despite economic challenges – Fully booked halls on the trade show’s return: Personal contact crucial for tourism as a people’s business – Positive response to the three-day focus on B2B customers – Growth in leading international buyers – 24,000 buyers attended the convention and 90,127 attendees came to visit the fair.
CompanyCompany description
Orascom Development is a leading developer of integrated towns with a strong foothold in Egypt and the Middle East and over 18 years of experience.
13 resorts and 7 cruises, from fun family resorts to exclusive Adults- only resorts.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and flagship brand of American multinational hospitality group Hilton.
Air Cairo is a low-fare airline based in Cairo, Egypt. The airline is part owned by Egyptair.
Flash Tour is one of the leading DMC's in the country with branch offices all over the country.
Novotel Cairo 6th of October hotel is the perfect choice for business and leisure travelers.
5-stars deluxe beach hotel with 388 guest rooms and suites.
Member of Sami Saad Holding Group. Pioneers in the delivery of premium residential and hospitality properties in Egypt & abroad.
Tradition of its host community with exceptional Service & Cuisine a luxury product with attention to detail.
Masters is the Ground Operator of top of the line travel agents in Europe.
Kempinski Hotel Soma Bay introduces luxurious European service with Egyptian hospitality at the premier holiday destination on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
We provide an opulent travel experience in Luxor with our luxurious hotel and Nile cruise, ensuring an unforgettable journey.
Ritz-Carlton occupies the most iconic location in Cairo along the River Nile, with views of old and new Egypt.
A travel program with extraordinary hotel brands & endless experiences. Reservations can be made here: www.marriott.com/sshbr or +2 0693664694
Fun Trip Travel provides all services related to tourism industry covering all touristic destinations in Egypt
Our company is specialized in exhibition field of sumbit, conference event all services.
The Golden Tulip Flamenco Hotel Cairo is set in the center of Cairo,verlooking the Nile River. It offers its guests the comfort of 173 rooms & suites.
We are a leading company that is committed to deliver a top-notch service in the tourism industry, offering many facilities such as hotels & resorts.
Pickalbatros Hotels Group specialized in the development and management of a wide variety of hotel properties and tourist attractions.
Our hotels and resorts operate in the most outstanding destinations in Egypt. Providing luxury lifestyle to all our guests since 1980.
Planet Tours is a DMC in Cairo operating for over 20 years, with 2000 customers arriving each week of over 70 nationalities
SENTIDO Akassia Beach is located at the Qusier - Marsa Alam Region of the Red Sea. A Beautiful 200 Room Hotel directly on the Red Sea.
Al-Darb al-Ahmar Touristic route is part of the project "Creating access to Cairo's Islamic Cultural
Misr Housing and Investment works in the field of tourism and real estate investment inside and outside of Egypt.
Blue Sky Escapes Holiday Rentals are local holiday specialists.
Charmillion Hotels & Resorts manage a unique collection of four all-inclusive resorts in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The Biggest Hospitality chain in Egypt & the Middle East.
Egypt has one of the largest stands at the trade fair in Berlin. 30 million tourists are expected to come in 2028. This is a yearly increase of 30%.

Egypt's travel segment is currently the most optimistic industry in the country, according to Tourism Minister Ahmed Issa, who spoke at the ITB in Berlin. 2022 saw a 46% increase in number of tourists. Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that the sector aims to increase the number of tourists by another 28 percent in 2023.

Well-trained staff retained despite Corona
This shows that tourism on the Nile is also picking up again and creating great expectations. But the offer on the Red Sea should also continue to grow. This requires staff, "whom we have to train accordingly and keep training," the minister is aware. The starting position is good: thanks to government aid programmes during the Corona crisis, many hoteliers were able to keep their staff. Now, in the times of comeback, they have a solid base of trained staff.

Fragmented hotel market
A challenge but also an opportunity for Ahmed Issa is that the hotel market in Egypt is very fragmented. According to the minister, the top ten hotel owners in the country own only 26 percent of the resorts. The other properties belong to international chains or smaller Egyptian companies. In total, Egypt has about 1,200 hotels with about 210,000 rooms, according to the minister. This number is expected to triple. In the cultural segment, Tourism Minister Issa wants "more of an experience", especially in about 130 museums and ancient excavation sites.

Target: 30 million guests
Egypt's goal is to welcome 30 million holidaymakers in the medium term. By comparison, Egypt was visited by around 13 million foreign guests in 2018. On the way to new dimensions, the tourism economy is expected to grow by 30 percent annually. The minister is well aware that this is an ambitious goal and appealed to investors at the ITB to come to Egypt.

Big boost for the industry

At ITB Berlin the industry agreed that 2023 could become a record year – people’s desire for travel is back in many parts of the world. Only the Asia-Pacific region is lagging somewhat behind – due among other reasons to China opening up its borders late. “Over the past few days the tourism industry has displayed incredible confidence despite the difficult overall situation and geopolitical crises“, said Dirk Hoffmann, Managing Director of Messe Berlin.

Personal contact crucial for the people’s business that is tourism
“This year’s ITB Berlin was proof of the vital need to meet face-to-face. We are delighted with the trade show’s spectacular comeback as a live event and the huge response from exhibitors and visitors. Our industry is a people’s business, and not without reason – everyone at ITB Berlin agreed with that”. Numerous networking formats including the ITB Speed Networking event, get-togethers and events on exhibitors’ stands as well as evening events on the exhibition grounds and in Berlin’s city centre were proof of the desire to meet in person.

The ITB Berlin Convention with high-profile figures attending offered wide-ranging orientation on specialist subjects. At 18 theme tracks, 400 internationally recognised top speakers took part in a total of 200 sessions and discussed highly pressing topics as well as current trends including digitalisation, Artificial intelligence and the skills shortage. Under the heading ’Mastering Transformation’, experts presented ways to turn the pressing global challenges facing the industry into opportunities. A total of 24,000 attendees visited the lectures, panels and discussions at the leading international thinktank of the travel industry.

Notwithstanding the joy and euphoria following the global recovery of the markets, the industry also agreed that having overcome the pandemic it now faced enormous challenges. Prior to the pandemic criticism had already been mounting that “business as before“ would no longer really be possible and that growth could only achieved by taking all aspects of sustainability into account.

The next ITB Berlin will take place from 5 to 7 March (Tuesday to Thursday) 2024 on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds.