Egypt wants (more) tourists, but it knows it needs order because tourist overcrowding is something nobody likes. And the thing is, the Giza Necropolis in 2024 alone received more than 17.5 million tourists (can you imagine trying to take a nice Instagram photo with 17.5 million people?) Well, they want to reach 30 million tourists by 2030!!

So things need to change, and Egypt has always been one of those destinations we all dream of visiting and walking through, it brings mysticism, landscapes and history together. Who wouldn’t want to learn the secrets of Egyptian civilization? But of course, that makes the place especially in demand, and residents are noticing it and not in a good way.

The plan is quite ambitious, they want to reorganize the access points, introduce ecological transportation and eliminate some abusive practices that take place in the most crowded areas. And yes, don’t worry, they also want to improve the situation of the animals (normally camels) that do the routes.

All this so that tourism continues to be profitable, because it contributes about 10% of the GDP, around 6.6 billion dollars (although Egyptian residents do not exactly live in very good conditions…), but they want visiting Egypt to be a good experience and not chaos.

What does Egypt have that hooks people so much?

Egypt has a magic that few places in the world can match, if you have had the luck to visit it you already know what we are talking about. Pyramids, temples, spice markets, those incredible neighbors and their hospitality… Egypt is an amazing place to visit and it is no surprise that it has become one of the top destinations to travel to!

And what does the government propose?

Basically, to bring order, they want to create a new access point by road, reorganize the whole area around the pyramids and restore the tombs. In addition to introducing ecological transportation because Egypt reaches 226,188 megatonnes of emissions….

Giza

The star of the trip, without discussion, is Giza. The last wonder of the ancient world still standing, incredible, beautiful and striking, but such fame has a price to pay and the area has become pure chaos.

There are guides everywhere, cars, operators offering tours at every step, vendors who are very insistent… And in the end enjoying the landscape is practically impossible.

Impossible to ignore

The complaints had been circulating on social media for years, and like it or not, the digital age makes us rely on the positive comments of others, and Egypt’s were not very good. Many tourists felt harassed by vendors or even scammed…

Reddit threads were filled with complaints where many users claimed they had been scammed! And like it or not, those comments have ended up affecting the image of the country. It was time.

And the animals?

Many have denounced the treatment of animals, especially camels. Organizations like PETA have denounced for years how many vendors treat their animals (horses, donkeys and camels mainly) to walk tourists, injured, exhausted and poorly fed, so the government has launched a plan to control the animals. 2025, it is about time we replace animals with wheeled vehicles.

Gentrification sweeps through

Tourism is beautiful, but responsible tourism. Cairo is suffering what is known as gentrification, neighborhoods emptied of residents to serve tourists, and this is happening in the most “important” places of each country.

Families that have lived for years and generations in the same streets are being pushed out by urban projects that promise improvements but only for those who come from outside, for the tourist, offering our cities and our neighborhoods on a silver platter. And that is how what makes places magical gets lost, the traditional shops, the lifelong neighbors…

Some areas cannot keep up with this pace, Cairo is also suffering, and the renewal that is promised forgets the history, the roots of the place… We will see how long they can hold on at that pace…

Egypt, a new era

They do not want to put makeup on Giza or on Egypt, they want traveling to this country to be something comfortable and beautiful for the visitor (and for the bad comments to stop appearing on social media).

If Egypt wants to continue being one of the most desired destinations in the world, it has to adapt!