Egypt 'Extremely Challenged' by Hotel Rooms Shortage, Says Tourism Minister

Egypt says it needs 250,000 more hotel rooms to be constructed if its to hit its tourism goals for the next decade.

Egypt’s tourism ambitions are being held back by a shortage of hotel rooms — and the foreign investment needed to build them. That’s according to Sherif Fathi, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, who says the country’s long-term tourism goals hinge on rapidly expanding accommodation capacity.

“We're happy with developments, but we are extremely challenged by the lack of rooms to accommodate the demand we experience,” Fathi told journalists this week at a press conference at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. “We need hotel rooms. That’s why we’re encouraging all types of investments in rooms and hotels.”

Egypt hopes to attract 30 million tourists annually, but officials say hitting that milestone will require doubling the country’s current hotel stock. Last August, Prime Minis