Egypt targets one million Chinese tourists annually, up from 360 thousand in 2025: ETAA spokesman – Dailynewsegypt

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Egypt represents an important boost to the strategic relationship between the two countries and strengthens opportunities for increased cooperation in tourism and aviation, supporting Egypt’s efforts to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country, according to Haitham Araf, board member of the Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETAA) and head of its training committee.

In an exclusive statement, Arafa said that the Chinese tourism market is one of the most promising markets for Egyptian tourism, given the enormous size of the People’s Republic of China and its population of almost 1.4 billion people. He noted that Egypt intends to increase the number of Chinese tourists to one million per year in the coming years, and ultimately reach three million Chinese tourists per year.

He explained that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Egypt has increased significantly in recent years, from approximately 165,000 in 2023 to almost 300,000 in 2024, and will reach approximately 360,000 in 2025. This growth reflects the significant potential of the Chinese market and its ability to achieve even higher growth rates.

Arafa highlighted the important economic importance of Chinese tourists to the Egyptian destination, noting that their average spending per trip ranges from $1,800 to $3,500 and the average length of stay ranges from eight to 12 days. This makes the growth in the number of Chinese tourists an important factor in increasing tourism revenues and increasing average visitor spending in Egypt. Chinese tourists primarily prefer cultural and historical tourism, as well as Nile cruises.

He noted that to achieve the goal of one million Chinese tourists, it is necessary to increase direct air connections between Chinese cities and Egyptian destinations, expand partnerships between travel companies, airlines and Chinese travel platforms, and intensify advertising campaigns and tourism roadshows in major Chinese cities, especially Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Arafa also stressed the importance of using Egyptian archaeological exhibitions held in China as an effective tool to promote Egypt as a tourism destination, especially its new tourism products. He stressed the need to capitalize on Egypt’s diverse tourism offerings by developing tailored programs for Chinese tourists that go beyond cultural and archaeological tourism to include Nile cruises, beach holidays, desert and ecotourism, as well as interactive experiences and sound and light shows.

He stressed that developing services provided to Chinese tourists is essential to achieving growth goals. This includes providing services and information in Chinese, simplifying payment methods and upskilling tourism sector employees through specialized training programs to help them effectively interact with Chinese tourists and understand their needs and culture.

Arafa said the Chinese President’s visit to Egypt represents an important opportunity to translate the strength of the political and strategic relationship between Cairo and Beijing into broader cooperation in tourism and aviation. He stressed the need to build on the current momentum in bilateral relations through practical steps that will help increase the number of Chinese tourists in Egypt.