Tourist arrivals to Egypt in the first four months of the year jumped 33% from the same period in 2022, the head of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, Amr El Kady, told CNBC Arabia (watch, runtime: 6:54). El Kady didn’t disclose how many tourists visited the country between January and April.

REMEMBER- The ministry is currently expecting to receive a record 15 mn tourists this year, up 28% from 2022. El Kady says the ministry will review the target in June, but thinks we’re on track to hit the 15 mn figure. The industry had a strong 2022, quickly shaking off the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war as operators replaced low-margin Ukrainian and Russian package tours with higher value travelers from Europe and the US.

No GEM opening date? The state is yet to decide on an opening date for the long-awaited opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), he said. Asharq Business reported earlier this week that the museum could open its doors in November, citing an unnamed government official.

What’s the holdup? “A number of world leaders and officials have expressed their interest in attending the museum’s inauguration ceremony; consultations on that international level take a long time,” El Kady said, adding that we can expect a date announcement “very soon.”

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