Egypt tourism minister Sherif Fathy on marketing diversification

Egypt is growing its tourism relationship with the U.S. trade and advertising its diversity as a destination. Sherif Fathy, Egypt's minister of tourism and antiquities, spoke with tours editor Brinley Hineman at the USTOA's annual Marketplace conference last month about the country's tourism strategy, including advancing its marketing and promoting attractions that go beyond traditional antiquities and into adventure and ecotourism.

Q: One operator I spoke to recently praised Egypt's recent marketing strategies. Have you changed your approach in marketing to North America?

A: The only thing we changed is everything. We had to revisit our marketing activities with the technology now and AI, which gives us the ability to profile customers in a better way. We're giving more attention to relations between our local tour operators and the tour operators in the U.S. We're pushing our marketing activities through B2B channels and also B2C in general. Also, trade missions and fam trips coming from the U.S. are paying off. That's why we have an increase of 20% [in visitors in 2025].

We are also now marketing Egypt as the country of unmatched diversity. In the U.S., we need more efforts by our trade partners in explaining the new products, new itineraries, new combinations. That if you go to Egypt, it's not only about Luxor and Aswan; you can combine Luxor and Aswan with the Red Sea, for example. I want people to feel this diversity we're talking about so they can promote it.

Q: What are some examples of tourism destinations that you want to highlight?

A: What we have in terms of tourism products is unmatched. We have 3,000 kilometers of beachfront on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. We have 3,500 kilometers traveled by the Holy Family [believed to be the biblical journey of Jesus, Mary and Joseph's flight from King Herod], 25 sites. I'm talking about the things that are not known to the American customers: We have adventure sites in the desert, mountains, all types of adventure, ecotourism, of course, archeology from all eras. ... The Grand Egyptian Museum is something that we need to highlight more. The North Coast, a Mediterranean destination from Alexandria up to the Libyan border, has sunny, clear water and sandy beaches that are almost white. Like many other places on the Mediterranean, it's growing. It's not only about water, but it's also about nightlife and the ability to enjoy your evening.

Q: Nile river cruises are increasingly popular. Seemingly, everyone is operating ships there. Are we approaching a saturation point?

A: We are not yet saturated. We're building new ships. There is room for increasing more ships on the long route from Cairo up to the south, and there is also room beyond the dam area, called Nasser Lake.

Q: Abercrombie & Kent is adding a ship there, along with luxury hotels in the coming years. Is there an effort to promote Egypt as a luxury destination?

A: What I prefer is to maintain the value for money. The value for money is the name of the game. Egypt has a great value for money, because the luxury we offer is still at a very competitive price. That's why we have increased the number of tourists this year, and according to our calculation, the tourism spending has increased between 30% and 40%.

Q: How has the Israel-Hamas war impacted tourism?

A: It impacted the whole region, because some people still look at the region as one place, which is wrong. Keep in mind that [conflict is] also happening in Libya and in Sudan. However, we grew despite all that's happening around us. It's the confidence in the destination.