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Lessons for Kenya from Egypt’s thriving tourism sector

The north African state has an ambitious target of doubling its tourist arrivals by 2030.

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by JACKTONE LAWI

Africa15 February 2024 - 11:38
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In Summary


•Egypt has been a hub for tourist attraction some of which Kenya can emulate in the changing travel industry.

•In a bid to also improve its wildlife offering, Egypt is undertaking massive investments across a majority of its tourist attraction sites and Zoo.

Artefacts inside the new Grand Egyptian Museum that is set to be opened in March

When people talk about Egypt what comes to mind are sand pyramids and ancient civilisation, but is that really the case?

A recent trip to the land of the Pharaohs painted a completely different picture and offered lessons Kenyan can learn from tapping into its past for tourists attraction

Our visit courtesy of Egyptian lender Commercial International Bank begins in the bustling metropolis of Cairo, where the past and present coexist in a enchanting tapestry of sights and sounds.

The heart of the city beats with the rhythm of millions of lives intertwined with the legacy of pharaohs and kings.

One striking thing as you leave the airport is the massive infrastructure development that the country is undertaking. This has however not augured well with a section of the population.

Tourism arts and Culture Home to an estimated 30 million people, the city has more recently expanded into a sprawling jumble of modern buildings and ancient landmarks.

Egypt has been a hub for tourist attraction some of which Kenya can emulate in the changing travel industry.

In the land where the timeless whispers of history blend with the vibrant pulse of modern life, Egypt specifically Cairo, stands as a testament to human ingenuity and resilience.

Its iconic monuments, majestic pyramids, and mystical temples have captivated the imaginations of travellers for centuries.

While Kenya is witnessing stiff competition in its Safari Tourism offering, from players such as Tanzania and Zanzibar, Egypt is betting big on its history.

In a bid to also improve its wildlife offering, the North African state is undertaking massive investments across a majority of its tourist attraction sites and zoo.

Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Internal Trade, Ibrahim Ashmawy during a session with Journalists from Kenya.

Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Internal Trade, Ibrahim Ashmawy says one of the significant contributors to Egypt's economy, is attracting millions of visitors to experience the pyramids and temples.

He says Egypt is targeting 30 million tourists by the end of 2030, from 11 to 12 million tourists.

“So we are looking to triple the volume. The peak was in 2010 we had 14 million tourists with a value of $12.4 billion (Sh1.9 trillion). The government has been working very hard to leverage the infrastructure of the tourism industry,” said Ashmawy.

Despite Kenya being known as a key tourism hub, the numbers are still low with the country setting a target of 5.5 million tourists by 2028.

Unlike Egypt that is pumping more investment in widening the scope of its tourism offering, Kenya has on average reduced its allocation towards tourism initiatives, amidst increasing competition.

The National Treasury allocated Sh5 billion to Kenya’s tourism sector in the 2022-23 financial year, a Sh4 billion drop from a year earlier.

In the current fiscal year, Treasury allocated Sh4.1 billion for the Tourism Fund and Sh2 billion Tourism Promotion Fund, a slight increase from the 2022/23 financial year.

Egypt is also planning to introduce wildlife experience in it offering, a niche that has been majorly associated with the East Africa.

However, in its plan is constructing one of the largest Zoo’s in the region where it plans to introduce wildlife from across the world.

 “In the next six years, the number of rooms should be doubled, the number of tourists should be doubled and finally the expenditure per night will have to increase,” noted the Deputy Minister.

The Grand Egyptian Museum

Just like Kenya modernised its Arts Centre, the Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, Cairo is set to open the world’s largest museum in the coming weeks.

The Egyptian Museum has over the years been the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East. It has more than 17,000 artefacts, including a collection of mummies and sarcophagi.

Several delays slowed down the construction of the larger Grand Egyptian Museum. But eventually the building is in its final touches and will accommodate a majority of the artefacts.

Touted as “Egypt’s new wonder in the making”, this is the biggest archaeological museum in the world and will play host to the country's history.

As the city gears up for the debut of the Grand Egyptian Museum — a gargantuan cultural institution that will house, among its expected 100,000 artefacts, all of the King Tut treasures — it’s become a magnet for creatives from around the world.

They are drawn to the pharaonic history and art, of course, but also to the more contemporary galleries and studios that today form Cairo’s design scene. 

Pyramids of Giza

This was among our first stops, the iconic Giza Plateau, home to the Great Pyramids and the enigmatic Sphinx.

Many tourists fly into Cairo primarily for the pyramids of Giza. One of the world’s ancient wonders, the impressive site sits on the outskirts of the capital and welcomes 14 million tourists each year.

Tourists at one of the three large pyramids at Giza Plateau.

The Nile River is also a key feature. Tourism revenues rose 27 per cent in 2023 to hit $13.6 billions (Sh1.95 trillion).

Players in the country’s tourism sector are optimistic that the new developments will lead to a spike in numbers.

Hany Shahat has worked as a tour guide in Egypt for over a decade.

"I have worked with many visitors, Germans, Romanians, you name it. I mean we receive tourists from all over the world. Egypt is considered to be the most loved attraction from all over the world"' he says.

Trade

The expansion of Egypt lender CIB into Kenya is promising since it is the first lender from the country to venture locally.

“For us being in Kenyan is a learning experience in a lot of ways especially on the digital banking front,” said CIB Group CEO Hussein Abaza.

Even though the majority of Egypt's landscape is a desert, the country has a vibrant agricultural sector.

In a bid to safeguard its small scale farmers and producers from exploitation, it launched a commodities exchange two years ago.

Similar to Kenya’s Nairobi Coffee Exchange the Egyptian Mercantile Exchange sets the minimum prices for the various agricultural commodities on its platform.

Kenya National Multi Commodities Exchange to be launched this year promises to offer a similar platform.

Ashmawy advices Kenya to develop the system as a stock market before later on developing features such as derivatives.

"We are targeting to be the number one mercantile exchange in our region, the pace of development here is high. So we are looking forward to an increasing number of traded products on our platform," Ashmawy said.

"Every single country is required to leverage its trade platform, and one of the ways is to have the right components and right parameters, one of the major components is to have a commodities exchange."

Like Kenya, Egypt is also over banked and consolidations are in the offing, with the country saying it plans to reduce the number of banks from 36 to 24.

Its 170 state agencies are also set to be privatised as it looks to free state resources for other development projects.

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