The pyramids were built more than 4,000 years ago in the eras of Kings Cheops, Kefren and Mykerinos. A luxury express train also connects Cairo with Marsa Matruh towards the Libyan border. Memphis was founded in about 3000 BC by Menes, along with 11 other pyramids. The Mediterranean coastal strip has an average annual rainfall of 100–200 mm. These include: Pyramids: there are more than 70 pyramids along the Nile, with the three pyramids of Giza being the best-known. The industry was also affected by the September 11, 2001, attacks in the eastern United States, the 2004 Sinai bombings, April 2005 Cairo terrorist attacks, the July 23, 2005, Sharm el-Sheikh attacks, and the 2006 Dahab bombings. Famed for the Valley of the Kings, Karnak Temple, and the Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut, the Nile-side town of Luxor in Upper Egypt has a glut of tourist attractions.This is ancient Thebes, power base of the New Kingdom pharaohs, and home to more sights than most can see on one visit. Cairo International Airport is the main gateway to Egypt and is located about 15 miles northeast of the city in northern Egypt.

Saqqara has Zoser's funerary complex, Mereruka's tomb and the Serapeum, a large limestone structure housing a collection of mummified Apis bulls in gargantuan granite coffins of various kings such as Teti.

| Egypt welcomes you with its mighty Nile and magnificent monuments, the beguiling desert and lush delta, and with its long past and welcoming, story-loving people. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Militants have typically been motivated by a combination of Qutbism and opposition to the Mubarak government, therefore attacking foreigners who are generally non-Muslims while diminishing tourist industry income was seen as serving both agendas. Located in central Egypt, Luxor International Airport serves the Nile Valley and acts as a gateway to tourist destinations of the region. Significant security threats have had an ongoing effect on the industry over the past twenty years.[when?] Enter Email Address. Two terminals serve international and domestic flights, with a number of Egyptian carriers including Air Cairo and Egypt Air operating from the airport. Passports and visas are required of foreign visitors except natives of several Middle Eastern countries. During the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the number of visitors plummeted by over 37% that year falling from 14 million in 2010 to 9 million by the end of 2011. Winters are generally warm in the south of Egypt, but temperatures fall abruptly at night, especially in the desert.

However, it regained some ground in the 2017 rankings being rated 75th overall. This has impacted a diverse range of businesses directly or indirectly dependent on tourism, from travel accommodation and tourist attractions to car rental and air transportation, as well as health and wellness industries. Cairo's three terminals receive flights from all major world cities including those in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.

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. [25], 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 the Imam Al-Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed in Cairo, Archangel Michael's Coptic Orthodox Church in Coptic Style in Aswan, Dahab, Sinai is one of the popular beach and diving resorts in Egypt, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Egypt tourism numbers to fall less than feared", "Egypt tourist numbers to rise 5–10 pct in 2014 – minister", "Travel and Tourism in Egypt, Travel and Tourism", "Egypt tourist numbers decline 20.5 pct in June year-on-year", "Table 1: The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2013 and 2011 comparison", "Table 1: The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index 2015", "Israeli tourists visit Egypt for first time in 18 months under high security: embassy", https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/surprising-countries-where-tourism-is-booming-in-2017/, "Egypt's tourism industry suffers a critical blow", "Why UK Tourists Should Consider Returning to Egypt on Holiday", https://news.travelyalla.com/5470/13-مليون-سائح-زاروا-مصر-في-2019, Aircraft Charter World: Airports in Egypt, Consulate General of Egypt – Visa Application Instructions/Customs Declarations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tourism_in_Egypt&oldid=969981998, Articles with a promotional tone from November 2015, Articles needing translation from Arabic Wikipedia, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from October 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Get the latest offers! In central and southern Egypt several years may pass without any significant rain. About Egypt. [15][16], Most tourists arriving to Egypt in 2019 came from the following territories:[18], Major tourist destinations include the millennia-old monuments in the Nile Valley. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. [13] 2016 was a "tough year" for the tourism industry in Egypt. As of May 2009, the currency notes in circulation have a denomination of EGP 200, 100, 50, 20, 5, 1 and Piastres 50, 25. Travellers native to most of Africa must have proof of cholera and yellow fever vaccination. [3][6], In 2013, Egypt ranked 85th as the world's best country in terms of tourism and travelling, falling ten places from its ranking of 75 in 2011.
[2][4] Revenues from tourism reached the highest point at $12.6 billion in the fiscal year 2018-2019. The latest United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has revealed that Egypt is one of the world's fast-growing tourist destination for 2017, it raised to 8 million compared to last year which was about 5.26 million. 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. Explore Egypt holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Tourists arrivals reached a pinnacle in 2010 by reaching 14.7 million visitors.

This service is especially attractive to tourists who can spend the night on the train as it covers the stretch between Cairo and Luxor. more. From around the middle of April locks on the river are closed in order to manage water levels, requiring passengers to disembark on one side of the lock and transfer to another boat on the other side. The Alexandria-Cairo-Luxor-Aswan link is served daily in both directions by air-conditioned sleeper trains of Abela Egypt.
Peak tourist season in Egypt runs from mid October to May, during winter and spring. The currency in Egypt is the Egyptian pound E£ or ج.م – can also be abbreviated as EGP and sometimes, LE or L.E. With the exception of a strip along the Mediterranean coast, Egypt has a desert climate, being entirely within the Sahara. After all, it’s quite an important trip; it needs to be romantic, pea…, At this moment, over 1.5 million people from dozens of countries around the world are in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to perform the hajj, the Islamic religio…, The Minister of Antiquities Khaled El Anany, announced that currently, the achievement of the work at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is near finished…, Everyday is a journey and your journey starts here. [7][8], Israelis can cross into Egypt for 14 days without a visa at certain areas near Taba and they come to enjoy areas in the Red Sea Riviera. Egypt tourist attractions are like nothing you will find anywhere else in the world. There may be restrictions on the amount of currency that can be taken outside of Egypt so it is best to check with your hotel or a local bank to confirm the amount, but generally it should not exceed E£5,000.[23][24]. Egypt Tourism: Best of Egypt. Most of the network connects the densely populated area of the Nile delta with Cairo and Alexandria as hubs. Egypt is one of the hottest and sunniest countries in the world. Tourism is one of the leading sources of income, crucial to Egypt's economy.