Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the tourism sector is a fundamental pillar of the national economy, reaffirming Egypt's strategic goal to attract 30 million tourists annually. Madbouly made the remarks during a meeting on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at the Cabinet premises in the New Capital, to follow up on the government measures to stimulate the tourism industry and enhance its competitiveness amid current regional challenges.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy and Minister of Civil Aviation Sameh El-Hefny attended the meeting, alongside a host of senior officials from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and the Tourism Promotion Authority. Madbouly stressed that achieving tourism targets requires improving visitor experience from arrival to departure, upgrading airport infrastructure, and enhancing services at archaeological and entertainment sites, in cooperation with the private sector.
He also emphasized the need to develop effective mechanisms to mitigate the impact of rising global energy prices on aviation and tourism flows. Meanwhile, Fathy briefed the premier on the results of a ministerial study on mitigating the effects of global energy costs, proposing a set of incentives for airlines to alleviate operational pressures and maintain steady tourist influx rates, compared to the same period last year.
According to data on March and April operations this year, Egypt has maintained its flight traffic levels, Hefny noted, as he outlined potential incentives to support airlines in sustaining the flow of incoming tourism. Concluding the meeting, Madbouly instructed both ministries to coordinate and finalize the proposed incentive packages to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval to ensure effective support for the sector's growth.