CAIRO -- 2027 is shaping up to be a year of rebounding tourism for Egypt, but the Iran war has suppressed demand this year, hurting small local tour operators in particular.
Tauck, which offers land tours and river cruises in Egypt, said the destination was performing exceptionally well before the war, with nearly all 2026 departures sold out. Demand has softened since the war broke out, but 2027 departures are sold out and there are "substantial waitlists," said brand manager Kelly Coughlan.
This, Coughlan said, is "a clear signal that traveler interest in Egypt remains strong" and "tells us travelers are taking a measured approach to the near term while continuing to plan ahead with confidence."
Sherif Fathy, Egypt's minister of tourism and antiquities, who was in New York in late May for meetings with the trade and media, said that the country's tourism industry typically sees a "V" shape when there's a crisis: a sharp drop followed by a sharp rebound.
He said hotels currently were hovering around 75% to 80% occupancy.
Abercrombie & Kent, which offers land tours and Nile cruises, said it hasn't experienced a decline in 2026 bookings for its Small Group Journeys portfolio, which are pacing ahead double digits for the year. But it said 2027 was "especially strong," which it attributed to the upcoming debut of a new Nile ship.
The Globus family of brands, which includes tour operators Globus and Cosmos and river cruise line Avalon Waterways, had postponed Egypt itineraries until September due to the war. But the appetite for Egypt is healthy, said Globus chief marketing officer Steve Born. Bookings made this year are up 50% year over year.
"That tells us traveler interest in Egypt remains resilient," he said.
Perception versus reality
Even though Egypt is stable and not involved in the Iran or Gaza wars, it is part of the Middle East region, and prospective travelers might have a tendency to lump all the Middle East countries together when considering travel.
The headlines about flight disruptions and airspace closures in the Gulf region could also dissuade Americans from considering Egypt.
Wanting to understand what tourism is like in Egypt right now, I traveled there in late May with Intrepid Travel, which temporarily paused tours after the war broke out before resuming them in April.
Intrepid said that its Egypt business was growing at 12% year over year prior to the start of the Iran war. It said it is still seeing cancellations since the war began.
May is the beginning of Egypt's shoulder season, and historically there are fewer travelers, but some locals said the lingering impact of the war was pronounced.
At a papyrus shop in Cairo, a worker said business was significantly down. He asked me to spread the word of Egypt's safety to counter faulty perceptions.
My Intrepid guide, meanwhile, suggested that Egypt visitors could share their firsthand accounts of the normalcy there when they return home.
A dearth of tourists, whether caused by hesitation to visit Egypt or the shoulder season, was evident at the country's iconic World Wonder. We arrived at the pyramids half an hour after the complex opened and were some of the only tourists there. As the hours ticked by, the pyramids remained fairly empty.
Even my tour group had cancellations, and there were just five guests in total. Salam Shaqdeeh, Intrepid's general manager of Egypt and Jordan, said long-haul markets are particularly soft.
"Even a short-term slowdown can have a significant ripple effect," she said.
Local operators suffer
The Iran war started just two years after the Gaza war began, and both conflicts have been damaging to Egypt tourism. It's been a rough stretch for small Egyptian operators.
Egypt Tours Portal, a destination management company in Cairo, reported a robust January and February, which CEO and founder Ahmad Samir said were the strongest months in recent history. Website traffic was up 79% year over year in January. Leads were up 184%. Confirmed bookings were up 42%.
After the Iran war began, confirmed bookings dropped by 71%, and traveler volume dropped 66%.
"In 39 years of operating in Egypt, I have never seen a booking collapse this fast or this deep," Samir said. "The Gaza war cost us 45% of our bookings over four months. The Iran war cost us 71% in eight weeks."
And though the official numbers from the Egyptian tourism ministry reflect a 5% cancellation rate, Samir said the figure doesn't capture the "real damage."
Luxury tour operator Inside Egypt had a "significant slowdown" in March and April, said Mostafa Lotfy, founder, chairman and CEO of the Cairo-based company. During those months, customers shifted from booking trips to making inquiries.
"We observed that many travelers were not necessarily losing interest in Egypt," he said.
"They were primarily seeking reassurance and waiting to see how the regional situation would develop before committing."
As of May, Lotfy said bookings have started stabilizing.
Rebecca Tobin contributed to this report.