RESILIENT EXPANSION

Kamel Abou-Aly, Founder and Chairman of Pickalbatros Hotels Resorts, began building his hospitality empire in Egypt 33 years ago. With 5 billion invested at home and abroad, the group continues to expand while strengthening Egypt’s position as a global tourism hub.

- HAGAR OMRAN

Egypt is intensifying its efforts to position itself as a hub for tourism, targeting 30 million visitors annually by 2031. This ambition is anchored in the strength of its travel and hospitality sectors-vital engines of the country's economy that continue to show resilience, even as global and regional headwinds escalate.

In 2024, Egypt's tourism revenues reached $15.3 billion, up 8.9% from the year before. Tourism receipts accounted for 11.8% of the country's total foreign currency inflows from its five main sources: export proceeds, Suez Canal dues, tourism, foreign direct investment, and the remittances of Egyptians working abroad. The rising share of tourism receipts comes at a critical time, as Suez Canal revenues plunged 62% to $3.6 billion last year amid mounting geopolitical tensions. In Q1 2025, tourism revenues climbed 23% year-on-year to $3.8 billion, reinforcing the sector's role as one of the country's most resilient and strategic sources of hard currency.

One of the homegrown players riding this momentum is hospitality group Pickalbatros Hotels & Resorts. "Tourism is a key driver of the Egyptian economy, and I remain optimistic about its resilience. This industry may falter at times, but it never dies," says Kamel Abou-Aly, Founder and Chairman of Pickalbatros Hotels & Resorts. In 1992, Pickalbatros Hotels & Resorts began its journey with the Beach Albatros Resort in Hurghada. Since then, the group has expanded rapidly, now boasting nearly 35 resorts across Egypt and seven in Morocco. Its combined portfolio exceeds 17,000 hotel rooms, with 14,200 rooms in Egypt, representing a 377% increase in room capacity since 2009 and making it one of Egypt's largest hotel owners and operators by room count.