Egypt’s tourism revenues grew 50% y-o-y to USD 11.4 bn in 2018

Tourism revenues grew 50% y-o-y to c. USD 11.4 bn in 2018, from USD 7.6 bn in 2017, an unnamed government official told the local press. The growth came as more tourists arrived and spent more, on average, each day: Tourist arrivals came in at 11.34 mn visitors, while average spending was at USD 100 / night against USD 92.60 the previous year. European tourists accounted for the largest bloc, with around 7 mn visitors to Egypt last year, followed by Arabs and Asians. Germans alone accounted for 1.7 mn of the tourist arrivals in 2018.

Tourism Minister Rania Al Mashat has said that tourism growth in 2019 will be “strong” in an interview with the National, but declined to give specific projections. Figures from the World Travel & Tourism Council (pdf) show that 11.7 mn tourists are expected to visit Egypt this year.