Tourism Minister meets Japanese tour operators in Tokyo

Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy held a series of professional and media meetings in Tokyo with Japanese tour operators, tourism companies and major media outlets during his participation in Tourism Expo Japan 2026.

The meetings focused on strengthening cooperation to promote Egypt as a tourist destination, developing new tourism programs tailored to Japanese travelers, and attracting more visitors from Japan.

The two sides also discussed organizing familiarization trips for Japanese tourism companies and increasing direct flights between Egypt and Japan to meet growing demand.

Fathy highlighted Egypt’s diverse tourism offerings, including cultural, beach, leisure and desert tourism, noting that visitors stay an average of about 10 days, allowing for combined tourism programs.

He also discussed the use of modern technology and artificial intelligence in tourism promotion, infrastructure improvements, and efforts to attract investments in the hotel sector.

Japanese tour operators said Egypt remains an important destination for the Japanese market and pointed to stable visitor numbers this year despite regional developments.

They expressed interest in new tourism products, particularly programs targeting younger travelers and combining different Egyptian destinations.

They also reported growing demand for visits to the Grand Egyptian Museum.

The operators said programs combining Alexandria with Luxor and Aswan are currently being offered, while interest is also growing in viewing next year’s total solar eclipse from Luxor.

Fathy said Egypt is exploring ways to develop tourism programs around the event, including combining visits to the North Coast with eclipse viewing in Siwa.

Japanese tourism representatives also said the 2025 “Ramesses and the Gold of the Pharaohs” exhibition in Tokyo helped promote Egypt and increased interest in visiting the country, reflecting the strong Japanese interest in ancient Egyptian civilization.