Turkish investors urged to boost role in Egypt’s tourism

ISTANBUL

Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy.

Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy has called on Turkish investors to take a greater role in Egypt’s tourism sector.

“We already offer incentives not only for Turkish investors but for all investors interested in building hotels or investing in tourism-related businesses. We are also willing to discuss additional incentives if such projects align with our targets,” Fathy told Anadolu Agency during an event in Istanbul that brings together Turkish and Egyptian tourism professionals.

Pointing out that the Turkish business community is already active in Egypt, particularly in industry, Fathy said there is not yet a similar interest in tourism.

Fathy said Egypt is ready to provide every possible facilitation for Turkish businesspeople who want to invest in Egypt’s tourism sector.

Fathy noted that Egypt exceeded its tourism targets in 2025, recording 21 percent growth and reaching 19 million tourists. For Türkiye specifically, he noted a 43 percent increase.

Around 250,000 tourists from Egypt also visited Türkiye.

He said Egypt expects at least a 25 percent increase in the number of tourists coming from Türkiye.

Fathy noted that awareness among Turkish tourists and tour operators of Egypt’s tourism potential and diversity has increased over the past year.

Noting that limited flight capacity constrains growth in both directions, Fathy said both Egypt and Türkiye need to take steps, concluding: “We are looking at an estimated 20% to 25% increase in seat capacity. However, this will not be sufficient. We need to add more flights and increase capacity on existing routes.”

"This requires joint efforts from both Egyptian and Turkish airlines, and we need to sustain this growth over the next five years to meet the demand we are targeting,” he said.