Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy and Matrouh Governor Mohamed El-Zamlout met with tourism investors in the governorate to explore investment opportunities, maximize the use of Matrouh’s tourism assets, and expand its tourism offerings.
The meeting, Fathy’s first with tourism investors in Matrouh, brought together owners and managers of hotels and tourism establishments to discuss opportunities to attract additional investment, increase hotel capacity, and boost tourist arrivals to the governorate.
Fathy highlighted Matrouh’s diverse tourism potential, describing the governorate as an emerging destination with significant investment opportunities. He stressed the importance of maximizing the use of prime sites and land plots through the development of new hotel establishments, noting that the ministry would work to accelerate the development of these sites to increase the governorate’s hotel capacity.
The minister said the meeting also aimed to exchange views on developing Matrouh’s tourism sector and identifying and addressing challenges facing investors. He stressed the ministry’s commitment to resolving issues within its jurisdiction and coordinating with other government entities when necessary.
Fathy outlined the ministry’s current strategy, which focuses on highlighting Egypt’s key competitive advantage as a tourism destination—its unparalleled diversity. He noted that the authenticity of the tourism experience and the development of luxury tourism products are also among Egypt’s major strengths.
In this regard, Fathy said Matrouh has strong potential for luxury tourism, while its distinct cultural and lifestyle characteristics provide opportunities to develop new tourism experiences centred on the governorate’s Bedouin heritage.
Fathy also announced plans to launch an olive harvest festival in September as an immersive tourism experience that would allow visitors to participate in and experience the various stages of olive harvesting and pressing.
The festival could also be incorporated into tourism programmes targeting visitors staying on the North Coast, with promotional activities planned well ahead of the event to allow tour operators to include it in their itineraries.
Fathy said tourist arrivals to Egypt had increased by 5% since the beginning of the year, while arrivals from the US market had grown by 2% during the same period.
He highlighted Egypt’s successful bid to host the annual meeting of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) Board of Directors outside the US in April 2027, saying the event is expected to have a positive impact on inbound tourism, particularly from the US market. He noted that the event would follow Egypt’s recent hosting of events organised by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
The minister also highlighted the ministry’s focus on training and developing the skills of tourism sector employees through the EGTAP platform, which offers training programmes aimed at improving workforce capabilities.
Matrouh Governor Mohamed El-Zamlout said the governorate’s diverse tourism assets position it to become a year-round, integrated tourism destination. He added that Matrouh is continuing to develop infrastructure and supporting services to attract more investment, improve tourism facilities, and enhance services for visitors.
El-Zamlout also highlighted steps taken by the governorate to facilitate the legalisation of hotel and tourism establishments in Siwa Oasis, supporting the stability of tourism activities, encouraging investment, and ensuring the optimal use of the oasis’s unique tourism and environmental resources.
Fathy said he plans to visit Siwa soon to inspect promising tourism sites and hold a similar meeting with tourism investors in the oasis.
He further proposed organising a tour for a group of investors to visit promising tourism areas he inspected during his recent visits to Matrouh alongside the governor, allowing investors to gain first-hand insight into the available investment opportunities and the governorate’s tourism potential.
