Cairo, October 12, 2025: The sessions of the 7th edition of the "Decision Makers" Conference continued today, focusing on "Towards an Integrated Vision Between the Tourism and Real Estate Sectors to Support the Egyptian Economy." The event featured extensive participation from leaders of major companies, investors, government officials, experts, and media representatives, held under the auspices of the Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority.
In the second session of the conference, titled "Real Estate and Tourism: Two Sides of the Same Coin – Pathways and Possibilities for Integrating the Tourism and Real Estate Sectors for Greater Opportunities," moderated by Eng. Walid Mokhtar, CEO of IWAN, Eng. Mostafa Mounir, Executive Chairman of the General Authority for Tourism Development, emphasized that the Authority plays a pivotal role in supporting Egypt’s tourism ecosystem by introducing new investment opportunities and enhancing diverse tourism activities, including recreational, archaeological, and nature tourism.
Mounir also mentioned a plan to restructure the Authority and develop a new investment framework aimed at accelerating procedures and stimulating hotel investment in line with the state’s objectives to increase tourism flow.
Eng. Ibrahim El-Masry, Chairman of Soma Bay Tourism Group, stated that collaboration with the government has led to a significant transformation in tourism development projects. He noted that the improvement of infrastructure and the acceleration of licensing procedures now align with the swift implementation of projects on the ground. This change reflects a developmental mindset in Egypt, providing greater flexibility for tourism development companies to execute their projects efficiently and promptly.
Eng. Ahmed Ehab, CEO of Developments MADAAR, highlighted that the sector is witnessing clear legal facilitation and procedures that support companies and developers in executing their projects effectively. He explained that these measures demonstrate the state's commitment to facilitating investment and boosting confidence in the real estate and tourism markets, contributing to economic development and expanding project scopes to support national growth and sustainable objectives.
During the same session, Eng. Nabil Amasha, Founder of Places & People, asserted that tourism is the other side of real estate, where the success of a destination relies on the quality of the visitor's experience rather than just the property itself. He pointed out that the age of social media has changed marketing rules, as the new audience seeks unique and innovative experiences that transcend traditional methods. He emphasized the importance of focusing on life experiences to revitalize tourism and enhance investment appeal in this sector.
Maha Abdel-Razek, CEO of Egypt Real Estate Asset Management, underscored that the visitor's experience is the most critical factor for the success of any tourism destination, from the airport to the available services on-site. She highlighted the importance of focusing on domestic tourism and maximizing the benefits from unique local features in each area, explaining that building a distinctive identity for each destination enhances its tourism appeal and increases its investment value, allowing optimal utilization of available resources, especially as international companies show growing interest in investing in Egypt.
Eng. Omar Al-Taybi, CEO of TLD, reiterated that real estate and tourism are two sides of the same coin, despite the different nature of each industry. He explained that Egypt possesses significant resources to attract over 30 million tourists and achieve ambitious tourism revenues of up to $30 billion, which necessitates providing a comprehensive and exceptional tourism experience for visitors. He emphasized that organizing hotel rooms and modern infrastructure, including airports and transport networks, facilitates easy movement between various destinations, while gradually increasing the number of hotel rooms supports sector growth. He added that developers play a crucial role in enhancing the tourism experience and increasing economic returns, ensuring sustainable development and the success of the state’s strategy in this field.
In the third session of the conference, titled "Tourism Marketing in Light of Geopolitical Changes," moderated by Dr. Dalia Abou El-Majd, CEO of DDA, Dr. Hisham Zaazou, former Minister of Tourism, noted that the tourism sector in Egypt has made significant advancements despite the exceptional challenges it faced, recording unprecedented annual growth rates.
Zaazou stated that the security stability in the country, thanks to political leadership, has helped restore investor confidence and boost tourism movement, with the ministry targeting to receive about 18 million tourists by the end of the year. He highlighted that Cairo and Giza are experiencing increasing interest, especially with the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, enhancing Egypt's position on the global tourism map and making it a distinctive destination for visitors.
Eng. Moataz Raslan, Chairman of the Canadian-Egyptian Business Council for International Cooperation and Chairman of Raslan Group, asserted that the integration between the tourism and real estate sectors has become a pivotal factor in strengthening the Egyptian economy. He pointed out that the two sectors are closely linked, with tourism growth directly impacting the real estate market. He explained that while Egypt was slow to adopt this idea, positive results are now evident, especially in successful projects in the North Coast and El Gouna. He added that international experiences, such as that of Abu Dhabi, have shown that a significant portion of visitors become property owners, boosting national income, and emphasized that coordination between tourism and real estate is key to achieving integrated and sustainable development in Egypt.
During the same session, Mounir Ghabour, Owner and Chairman of Marriot JW, expressed his interest in the Holy Family Path project, noting that the path includes 27 tourist sites in Egypt and has seen significant investment in redeveloping and renewing these sites. He explained that religious tourism is among the most important types of tourism globally, and activating this project could raise the number of visitors from 20 to 50 million, a realistic figure that reflects Egypt's immense potential in this field.
Ghabour stressed that Egypt possesses all the necessary components to attract this number of tourists and highlighted the importance of seizing this opportunity to enhance tourism and increase national income.
Omar Islam, Chairman of ITC Group, stated that airport development positively impacts improving incoming tourism movement, noting that the upcoming period will witness significant growth in tourism in Egypt, especially with the stabilization of conditions in the region. He mentioned several programs implemented by the Tourism Promotion Authority since the Ukrainian crisis to increase the flow of incoming tourism.
Moataz Amin, CEO of Prime Hotel Management Group, pointed out that the experience of exporting real estate and converting it into hotel apartments is a new product that deserves attention and effective marketing from the state. He added that this experience achieves returns of up to 25% of the asset value, providing significant profits for investors, which explains the strong demand for hotel apartments.
Eng. Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Authority, confirmed that the Authority has designed programs to meet the demand for cultural tourism products, especially in the Pyramids area and beyond, in addition to developing beach tourism programs and spiritual tourism programs such as the Holy Family Path and historic mosques.
Youssef added that the state has significantly invested in the development of tourism infrastructure to meet the growing demand for Egyptian tourism products, alongside diversifying tourism promotion tools relying on social media, influencers, and bloggers.
In the fourth and final session of the conference, titled "Generational Forum," moderated by Eng. Ahmed Rashad, host of the "Business in Arabic" podcast, Eng. Hisham Shokry, Chairman of the Export Council for Real Estate and Managing Director of Vision Holding, noted that some emerging companies in the real estate development sector have begun to rely on marketing and advertising to enhance their brand presence in the market rather than focusing on the development of the industry itself. He added that good marketing should not be limited to conference participation or television programs but should extend to achieving genuine added value in the market.
Eng. Ahmed Saleh, Chairman of Dar Al-Alamia for Real Estate Development, stated that the Egyptian market has seen the emergence of many real estate development companies in recent years, most of which have relied on social media tools for promotion and supporting their market position and increasing their business volume. These tools have successfully contributed innovative ideas using digital tools, especially in achieving effective communication with clients.
Eng. Mohamed Islam, Executive Director of Ebny Real Estate, explained that many young developers now have a different mindset in real estate development, especially with the significant growth of the market in recent years. He noted that digital tools and artificial intelligence positively contribute to business development and increased promotion.
Finally, Mr. Mohamed Matawa, Chairman of Matawa Group, emphasized that increasing spending on marketing and promoting the company’s name and reputation is crucial for expanding business, provided there are solid projects that ensure capital preservation and yield results from marketing campaigns.