Egypt tourism growth to 18.6M tourists in 2026 and 20.8M by 2029

Fitch forecasts that Egypt will see a significant rise in inbound tourism, reaching 18.6 million visitors in 2026, marking a 4.6 percent year-on-year growth. This expansion is expected to continue through 2029, with a projected average annual growth rate of 5.8 percent, bringing the total to 20.8 million tourists.

A report by Fitch, highlighted by Egypt’s Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center, provides an optimistic outlook for the country's tourism sector, driven by strong momentum carried over from 2025.

The report states that Egypt’s tourism industry has fully recovered from the pandemic. In 2023, arrivals grew by 26.9 percent, surpassing 2019 levels by 114 percent. In 2022, tourist arrivals surged by 46.8 percent, reaching 11.7 million, following a sharp rebound in 2021, which saw a 117.5 percent increase after the sharp decline of 2020, when global travel restrictions caused visitor numbers to fall to just 3.7 million, compared to around 13 million in 2019.

Fitch also predicts that the number of European tourists to Egypt will reach 10.2 million in 2026, up from 8.4 million before the pandemic, solidifying Europe as Egypt’s primary source market in the short to medium term.

The report also projects continued strength in Egypt's tourism performance, with annual growth in tourist arrivals of 5.8 percent through 2029.