Tourism is one of the leading sources of income, crucial to Egypt's economy. At its peak in 2010, the sector employed about 12% of workforce of Egypt,^[1] serving approximately 14.7 million visitors to Egypt, and providing revenues of nearly $12.5 billion ^[2] as well as contributing more than 11% of GDP and 14.4% of foreign currency revenues.^[3]

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The number of tourists in Egypt stood at 0.1 million in 1952. Tourism became an important sector of the economy from 1975 onwards, as Egypt eased visa restrictions for almost all European and North American countries and established embassies in new countries like Austria, Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. In 1976, tourism was a focal point of the Five Year Plan of the Government, where 12% of the budget was allocated to upgrading state-owned hotels, establishing a loan fund for private hotels, and upgrading infrastructure (including road, rail, and air connectivity) for major tourist centers along with the coastal areas. In 1979, tourism experts and advisors were brought in from Turkey and several new colleges were established with Turkish help between 1979 and 1981, to teach diploma courses in hospitality and tourism management. The tourist inflow increased to 1.8 million in 1981 and then to 5.5 million in 2000. Tourists arrivals reached a pinnacle in 2010 by reaching 14.7 million visitors.^[2][4] Revenues from tourism reached the highest point at $12.6 billion in the fiscal year 2018–2019. In the year 2020, tourism-related revenues dropped by nearly 70% to $4 billion. Citing the Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany, Egypt's tourist arrivals plunged to 3.5 million in 2020.^[5] In February 2022, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva in a publication disclosed that Egypt's tourism sector was the biggest loser of the Coronavirus Outbreak.^[6]

Most tourists arriving to Egypt in 2019 came from the following territories:^[23]

Most tourists in Egypt came from the following countries

More information Country ...

Country	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014
Germany	352,845	1,729,051	1,707,382	1,232,343	653,915	1,020,879	877,228
Ukraine	741,947	1,551,680	1,174,234	797,270	425,000	363,586	446,450
Saudi Arabia	150,886	891,626	909,092	669,574	507,325	433,067	350,109
United Kingdom	114,651	455,614	435,772	319,388	231,299	869,481	905,713
Italy	95,804	619,425	421,992	225,148	131,458	332,932	400,356
Libya	135,584	440,309	410,659	336,370	282,845	268,541	210,957
Israel	37,855	530,226	405,399	234,986	234,676	161,035	140,425
Poland	111,289	413,892	303,720	177,433	67,231	207,253	302,815
United States	118,079	349,596	287,796	226,429	184,341	188,712	154,619
Belarus	135,156	327,332	273,987	162,481	53,972	149,641	166,550
China	44,173	214,202	234,747	287,260	179,459	115,158	61,697
France	89,218	298,812	217,533	150,241	101,075	136,623	144,766
Jordan	42,450	203,603	208,283	211,842	179,827	177,131	170,783
Netherlands	65,024	218,527	189,679	151,791	82,823	150,422	126,817
Austria	32,823	173,720	164,696	122,916	67,541	144,772	130,522
Kuwait	39,939	164,873	164,532	176,629	150,352	139,666	120,882
Russia	80,643	264,108	145,642	93,992	53,864	2,389,882	3,138,958
Belgium	31,488	148,974	136,891	95,725	50,591	92,010	74,246
Palestine	47,993	163,630	136,010	73,855	68,344	62,240	114,057
Kazakhstan	58,145	156,591	133,015	69,570	6,571	22,998	15,106
Iraq	43,110	94,702	104,805	90,922	76,578	47,533	49,986
Switzerland	33,758	119,541	110,405	75,403	46,089	90,483	80,389
Lithuania	31,138	90,946	69,907	42,632	17,216	31,780	30,856
Syria	31,000	64,268	65,803	63,687	53,662	52,281	63,081
Total Foreigner	3,620,000	12,880,000	11,200,000	8,160,000	5,260,000	9,140,000	9,630,000

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In 2020, Egypt's tourism revenue dropped by about 70% to US$4 billion, reducing tourist arrivals to 3.5 million from 13.1 million in 2019. As stated by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), Egypt's revenues from tourism for the months of 2020-2021 fiscal year plunged by 67.4%.^[24] According to Khaled al-Anani, the average number of tourists who visited Egypt in April 2021 is nearly half of the average monthly number of 2019.^[25]

The highest number of tourist arrivals to Egypt in 2019 (before the international Coronavirus pandemic) was from Germany (2.5 million arrivals) followed by Ukraine (1.5 million), Saudi Arabia (1.4 million) and Libya (0.75 million).^[26]

Major tourist destinations include the millennia-old monuments in the Nile Valley. Principal among them are the Pyramids and Great Sphinx at Giza, the Abu Simbel temples south of Aswan and the Karnak Temple Complex and Valley of the Kings near Luxor. Attractions in Cairo include the Cairo Museum and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha. The coast of the Sinai Peninsula has well-visited seaside resorts, in addition to Hurghada City on the Red Sea coast and the Famous El Gouna Resort 25 km Hurghada.^[27]

• Giza, 20 km southwest of Cairo, has several remains from the 26th century BC such as temples and monuments to pharaohs including the Great Sphinx, and the Great Pyramids of Giza.
• Saqqara, 30 km south of Cairo is a vast, ancient burial ground which served as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. It features numerous pyramids, including the world's oldest standing step pyramid, as well as a number of mastabas.
• Luxor, about 500 km south of Cairo, is the site of the ancient city of Thebes. It includes the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor, which stand within the modern city. On the opposite side of the Nile River lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.

• Abu Simbel, about 850 km south of Cairo (near the Egypt–Sudan border) is an archaeological site comprising two massive rock temples originally carved out of a mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II (13th century BC). The complex was relocated in its entirety in the 1960s to avoid being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser. They are now situated on an artificial hill made from a domed structure high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.
• Alexandria is a main summer resort, due to its beaches, ancient history and Museums, especially the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern project based on reviving the ancient Library of Alexandria.
• Sinai Peninsula- Sinai has the beach resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba as well as locations mentioned in the Bible such as Mount Sinai ("Jabal Musa"). Saint Catherine's Monastery may be the oldest working Christian monastery in the world.
• Ain Sukhna, about 110 km east of Cairo has a number of beach resorts.
• Assiut:in south of Egypt has historic buildings from the time of the pharaohs and ancient mosques.
• Hurghada and El Gouna resort on the Red Sea Coast, 25 km from Hurghada International Airport, are both famous for their beaches, snorkeling and diving,^{[citation needed]} and El Gouna is famous for its nightlife.^{[citation needed]}

The civilization of Ancient Egypt left many monuments and temples that have become attractions for modern-day visitors to Egypt. These include:

Pyramids: there are more than 70 pyramids along the Nile, with the three pyramids of Giza being the best-known. The Sphinx, a lion-bodied guard, stands beside pyramids in Giza. The pyramids were built more than 4,000 years ago in the eras of Kings Cheops, Kefren and Mykerinos. These three kings' bodies were buried within the pyramids. The pyramid of Cheops is the largest at 145 meters in height, and is referred to as the Great Pyramid.

Saqqara Complex: The vast necropolis of Saqqara including Memphis is located 24 kilometers south of central Cairo. Memphis was founded in about 3000 BC by Menes, along with 11 other pyramids. Memphis was the administrative capital of ancient Egypt. Saqqara has Zoser's funerary complex, Mereruka's tomb and the Serapeum, a complex of subterranean vaults that housed mummified Apis bulls, some in gargantuan granite coffins.

Valley of the Kings in Thebes: Due to theft from tombs within pyramids, 26 pharaohs of the eighteenth to twentieth dynasties including Tutankhamun, Ramses the Great and Tuthmosis III had their tombs carved into the rock of the Valley of Kings. There are further tombs in the Valley of the Queens.

Cruises are offered along the Nile ranging from short tours between Luxor and Aswan to longer cruises that include the northern town of Dendera.

In the past, it used to work all the way from Cairo to Aswan for more than two weeks, but due to the development of the Nile, they stopped doing Nile Cruises all the way from Cairo, and it is now working from Luxor to Aswan.

Passports and visas are required of foreign visitors except natives of several Middle Eastern countries. Travelers native to most of Africa must have proof of cholera and yellow fever vaccination.^[27]

The currency of Egypt is the Egyptian pound (E£ or ج.م – abbreviated to "LE" or "L.E." – livre égyptienne, "Egyptian pound" in French). The pound is divided into 100 piastres. The approximate official exchange rate for US$1 is E£15.75 as of April 2020. The Central Bank of Egypt controls the circulation of currency. As of May 2009, the currency notes in circulation have denominations of E£200, E£100, E£50, E£20, E£10, E£5, E£1 and 50 PT. and 25 PT.^[32]

There is no limit on the amount of currency which the visitors may bring to Egypt, however, they must declare the currency and amount upon arrival and departure with bank receipts. There may be restrictions on the amount of currency that can be taken outside of Egypt, and generally it should not exceed E£5,000.^[33][34]

Peak tourist season in Egypt runs from mid October to May, during winter and spring. From May until October daytime temperatures are relatively high, especially in Luxor and the southern parts of the country.

Egypt is one of the hottest and sunniest countries in the world. With the exception of a strip along the Mediterranean coast, Egypt has a desert climate, being entirely within the Sahara. The Mediterranean coastal strip has an average annual rainfall of 100–200 mm. In central and southern Egypt several years may pass without any significant rain.

Winters are generally warm in the south of Egypt, but temperatures fall abruptly at night, especially in the desert. In summer southern Egypt is very hot with low air humidity.^[35]

• Major Egyptian sites
• The Egyptian Museum
• Philae
• The Sphinx
• Djoser Step Pyramid
• Cairo Tower
• Qaitbay Citadel in Alexandria
• Pompey's Pillar in Alexandria
• Saint Catherine's Monastery on Mount Sinai
• Al-Mahmeya, a National Protected Park in Hurghada
• Al-Azhar Mosque, built in the Fatimid era in Cairo
• The Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha in Cairo
• The Mosque of the Imam Al-Husayn, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammed in Cairo
• The Great Pyramids of Giza in Giza
• The Luxor Temple in Luxor
• Temple of Ramesses II in Abu Simbel
• Temple of Nefertari in Abu Simbel
• Archangel Michael's Coptic Orthodox Church in Coptic Style in Aswan
• Dahab, Sinai is one of the popular beach and diving resorts in Egypt

• Cultural tourism in Egypt
• Visa policy of Egypt