Egyptian Tourism Minister Shreef El-Fathy recently visited Tokyo, Japan, to participate in the Tourism Expo Japan 2026. During his visit, El-Fathy held a series of meetings with Japanese tour operators and travel company representatives. These meetings were attended by Egyptian Ambassador to Japan Raji El-Atrabi. The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation to promote Egypt as a tourist destination.
The meetings explored ways to develop new tourism programs that cater to Japanese tourists' interests and preferences. El-Fathy emphasized Egypt's diverse tourism products and experiences, including cultural, beach, entertainment, and desert tourism. The Japanese tour operators and travel companies showed interest in organizing group tours to Egypt. They also requested more information about Egypt's tourism offerings.
El-Fathy highlighted the importance of increasing direct flights between Egypt and Japan to meet growing demand from Japanese tourists. The average stay of Japanese tourists in Egypt is around 10 days, allowing for diverse itineraries that combine multiple tourism products. El-Fathy also discussed Egypt's efforts to update its tourism promotional tools and utilize modern technology and artificial intelligence.
The Egyptian Tourism Minister reviewed the country's infrastructure development, particularly in road networks and transportation. He noted that Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada have become year-round tourist destinations. El-Fathy also mentioned the growing demand for Luxor and Aswan during the summer season.
El-Fathy discussed efforts to attract more investments, particularly in the hotel sector, to increase accommodation capacity and support expected growth in inbound tourism. Japanese tour operators and travel companies expressed interest in new tourism products and experiences. They suggested organizing programs that combine visits to different Egyptian destinations.
The Japanese tour operators and travel companies noted that the "Ramses and the Gold of the Pharaohs" exhibition in Tokyo in 2025 had positively promoted Egypt. They emphasized that Egyptian artifact exhibitions abroad have increased interest in visiting Egypt and boosted demand for Egyptian tourism in the Japanese market.
The meetings were attended by several Egyptian officials, including Rana Gohar, Ministerial Advisor for External Communication and Public Relations. El-Fathy's visit aimed to strengthen cooperation with Japanese tourism stakeholders and promote Egypt as a tourist destination.
Key points
- El-Fathy's visit to Tokyo aimed to enhance tourism cooperation with Japanese tour operators and travel companies.
- Egypt and Japan discussed ways to increase direct flights and develop new tourism programs.
- The Egyptian Tourism Minister emphasized the country's diverse tourism products and experiences.