The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Featured image via Daily News Egypt

After some high-profile international media props to our amazing country like the recent promotion agreement with Beautiful Destinations, Egypt now is deemed a must visit destination by super elegant Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Long considered the authority on luxury travel, the article highlights Egypt’s hot new developments and the updates that will see its tourism numbers boom.

Egypt has been going through somewhat of a rough period in terms of tourism, with many hotels in Cairo and across Egypt’s top touristic cities failing to book their rooms fully. However, Condé Nast Traveler magazine has stated in their article that Cairo hotels are finally seeing a waiting list, so what changed?

Well, in the past couple of months, we’ve seen tons of discoveries, including local and international missions revealing new tombs and relics from Pharaonic times. We’ve had a breakthrough in Luxor with a 3,000-year-old tomb discovery, as well as an older and more colourful tomb in Saqqara Necropolis, not to mention other revelations in Minya and Aswan.

Aside from that, Egyptian museums have been seeing a lot more publicity. There are tons of underrated museums that would add great interest for tourists visiting Egypt, not to mention that the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir is seeing many improvements on its own. Improvements in safety, and strides towards economic reforms are boosting tourism as well.

The article also highlights the other developments that are attracting tourists to visit the land of the Pharaohs. Luxury travel providers, Sanctuary Retreats, have launched weekly cruises in Egypt on their ritzy ships taking a trip all the way to Luxor for a quick retreat with a dose of history. Tourists can also book their spot on The Oberoi, Mumbai’s ship, The Philae, which was entirely refurbished to a higher level of luxury three years ago, taking travellers all the way to Medinet Habu. Additionally, the Nile Corniche in Cairo will be getting another prime hotel with St. Regis Cairo set to open next month to offer tourists another option in glamourous residence on the Nile.

But aside from those famous spots, there are many underrated places in Egypt that could bring about the same grand allure. Wadi El Gemal National Park in the Eastern Desert offers stunning picturesque scenes of diverse terrain, while Shalateen in the south-east of Egypt offers tourists a secluded stay in a primitive yet beautiful city. Speaking of seclusion, one of Egypt’s most isolated beaches, Sharm El Luli in Marsa Alam, has received international recognition by Trip Advisor as the best beach in the Middle East.

The future is also looking quite bright for Egypt’s other hot spots. Despite the delay in the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), we’re glad that they’re at least taking the time to make sure it launches with a bang. We’ve been seeing some sneak peeks of what they’ll be offering visitors, and can’t wait to see the 117-acre site in its full capacity, with the magnificent Tutankhamun collection being at the centre of it all. GEM will be the focal point of a new tourism hub near the Giza area, engulfing the Pyramids of Giza and a new airport to facilitate transportation for tourists. The Pyramids themselves are about to see an improvement, we hope, thanks to Orascom taking over the management of the historical site.

In a few months, Egypt will be facing a tough challenge with regards to receiving high numbers of visitors with the Africa Cup of Nations 2019, set to be hosted in our homeland this June. The competition will be hosted by six stadiums across different cities in Egypt, allowing football fans to see different places in the country, boosting tourism further. Perhaps they’ll even get a chance to visit the new Mohamed Salah Museum.

There have been lots of developments across Egypt’s tourism sector in the past year or so, and we’re very hopeful as to what it could mean for Egypt’s economy and prosperity. This is our chance to regain our stature in the world of tourism.