Tourism

Building construction at the Red Sea in Egypt.

Explainer

UAE-Egypt ties keep growing as Cairo navigates shifting Gulf landscape

An Emirati investor could soon strike a $2.7 billion deal to develop another tourism project on Egypt's North Coast, the latest in a string of UAE-linked pacts that have continued advancing despite turmoil from the US-Iran war.

Mostafa Waziri, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, gives a press conference in the Saqqara necropolis, where archaeologists unearthed two human and animal embalming workshops as well as two tombs, south of Cairo, on May 27, 2023.

Culture

Saqqara’s next chapter: How Egypt is modernizing its oldest necropolis

Egypt has launched a major project to develop access to the Saqqara archaeological sites, which — according to archeologists — hold some of Egypt’s most important ancient sites spanning across multiple civilizations.

Spectators look on as an A350-1000 by the European plane maker Airbus takes off on the second day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, Farnborough, July 21, 2026.

Explainer

Saudi airlines outbuy Gulf rivals at Farnborough air show: What to know

Saudi airlines emerged as the Middle East's biggest buyers at the international event, while the Gulf's three largest carriers browsed.

United Arab Emirates

Tourism students and visitors visit the ruins of the ancient city of Apamea in the Hama countryside, Syria, on July 8, 2026.

Syria arrivals surge 111% as government bets on tourism revival

The country welcomed 3.52 million visitors during the first half of 2026, more than double the figure recorded a year earlier, as the government pushes to reconnect to the world and promote tourism as a pillar of economic recovery.

Latest News

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

Israel-Iran escalation grounds flights across parts of Middle East

An Airbus A321 airliner arrives at the Mehrabad international airport during the delivery of the first batch of planes to the Iranian state airline Iran Air in the capital Tehran on Jaunary 12, 2017. - The aircraft arrived as part of an order for 100 other Airbus planes with a list price of around $20 billion (19 billion euros) on December 22, placed after the lifting of international sanctions on the Islamic republic. It will be used for internal flights landed at Tehran's Mehrabad airport. (Photo by ATTA

Explainer

How Iran war created unexpected economic beneficiaries

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Gulf celebrates Eid al-Adha under shadow of war

Muslim worshippers walk along the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on May 22, 2026, ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

United Arab Emirates

Russian tourists are seen swimming and snorkeling in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Sept. 29, 2021.

Egypt looks to Gulf to revive tourism sector affected by Russian-Ukrainian war

Egypt is seeking to increase Arab tourism from the Gulf at a time when this vital sector has struggled to overcome the recession it suffered with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The entrance is seen inside a newly discovered tomb dating to the Ptolemaic era at the Diabat necropolis near the city of Akhmim, Sohag province, Egypt, April 5, 2019.

Culture

Egyptian mission unearths 85 tombs, temple for Isis goddess in Upper Egypt

An Egyptian archaeological mission has discovered a tower house, in addition to the remains of a Ptolemaic temple and about 85 tombs dating back to different periods from the end of the Old Kingdom until the end of the Ptolemaic period in Sohag, southern Egypt.

The Hilton Taba Resort is seen on the east coast of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, July 10, 2013.

Egyptians outraged over Israeli festivals in Sinai

Two music festivals organized by Israel in the Sinai Peninsula have raised the ire of Egyptians as they coincided with the anniversary of the liberation of Sinai.

A picture taken on Sept. 29, 2021, shows Russian tourists in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Egypt hopes Israeli tourists will make up losses from Ukraine war

At a time when Egypt’s tourism sector has suffered a setback due to the war in Ukraine, the first direct flight from Israel is set to land in Sharm el-Sheikh this month, which may boost the number of Israeli tourists in the Egyptian coastal resorts in the Sinai Peninsula.

(L-R) Mohamed Diab, director, and May Calamawy attend the "Moon Knight" Los Angeles Special Launch.

Culture

Director reveals Egypt missed out on 'Moon Knight' because of permits

Egyptian director Mohamed Diab, the first Arab to direct a Marvel production, has criticized his country’s bureaucracy and intervention by multiple authorities in obtaining licenses to film international productions on Egyptian soil.

Local and foreign tourists snorkel in the Red Sea waters above a coral reef near Sharm el-Sheikh, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, Sept. 29, 2021.

Culture

Red Sea coral reefs benefit from drop in tourists

The shores of the Red Sea in Egypt have long been attractive to Russian tourists because of their rare coral reefs.

Ukrainian tourists wait to check in for their flight at Sharm el-Sheikh airport, Egypt, Nov. 5, 2015.

Egypt, Turkey consider coordination to boost tourism

Tourism in both Egypt and Turkey has plummetted due to the Russian war on Ukraine.

Palestinian man hangs clothing and other items to sell with the hope of getting some income.

Japan to help struggling Palestinian tourism industry

A Japanese nonprofit is also supporting a female-run dairy farm in the Gaza Strip.

Car show Egypt

Culture

Classic car show in Egypt

Egypt recently organized a classic car show as part of efforts to revive the tourism sector and expand tourism beyond antiquities.

Tourists stand at the Mount of Olives

Pandemic no longer Israeli tourism's top problem

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as China maintaining strict COVID-related travel regulations, could present obstacles to a tourism recovery in Israel.

A model participates in the first underwater fashion show in Egypt.

Culture

First underwater fashion show in Egypt

Egyptian fashion designer Amany Yehia held her first underwater photo shoot, the first of its kind in Egypt.

A Saudi Arabian airlines Saudia plane is pictured on the tarmac of the Ataturk Airport on April 4, 2019, in Istanbul.

Saudi Arabia resumes visa on arrival for US, EU visa holders

The kingdom greatly relaxed its visa rules before the pandemic in an effort to boost tourism.