Cairo, Egypt’s sprawling capital, is set on the Nile River. At its heart is Tahrir Square and the vast Egyptian Museum, a trove of antiquities including royal mummies and gilded King Tutankhamun artifacts. Nearby, Giza is the site of the iconic pyramids and Great Sphinx, dating to the 26th century BC. In Gezira Island’s leafy Zamalek district, 187m Cairo Tower affords panoramic city views.

Egypt has a thriving cultural tourism industry, built on the country's complex history, multicultural population and importance as a regional center. Tourism is one of the leading sources of income, crucial to Egypt's economy. At its peak in 2010, the sector employed about 12% of the workforce of Egypt, serving approximately 14.7 million visitors to Egypt, and providing revenues of nearly $12.5 billion as well as contributing more than 11% of GDP and 14.4% of foreign currency revenues.

The number of tourists in Egypt stood at 0.1 million in 1951. Tourism became an important sector of the economy from 1975 onwards, as Egypt eased visa restrictions for almost all European and North American countries and established embassies in new countries like Austria, Netherlands, Denmark and Finland. In 1976, tourism was a focal point of the Five Year Plan of the Government, where 12% of the budget was allocated to upgrading state-owned hotels, establishing a loan fund for private hotels, and upgrading infrastructure (including road, rail, and air connectivity) for major tourist centers along with the coastal areas. In 1979, tourism experts and advisors were brought in from Turkey and several new colleges were established with Turkish help between 1979 and 1981, to teach diploma courses in hospitality and tourism management. The tourist inflow increased to 1.8 million in 1981 and then to 5.5 million in 2000. Tourist arrivals reached a pinnacle in 2010 by reaching 14.7 million visitors. Revenues from tourism reached the highest point at $12.6 billion in the fiscal year 2018-2019. In the year 2020, tourism-related revenues dropped by nearly 70% to $4 billion. As per Tourism and Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany, Egypt’s tourist arrivals plunged to 3.5 million in 2020. As per the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva, Egypt’s tourism sector is the biggest loser of the coronavirus outbreak.