The official opening of Egypt’s Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is expected to give a significant boost to the country’s tourism industry and inject fresh momentum into its economy, according to tourism experts. The long-awaited landmark adds a new and powerful attraction to Egypt’s expanding cultural landscape.

Mohamed Othman, head of the Cultural Tourism Marketing Committee in Upper Egypt, described the GEM’s debut as both a cultural milestone and an economic catalyst, one that could revive cultural tourism, extend visitors’ stays, and help Egypt reach its goal of attracting 30 million tourists annually in the coming years.

Located on the Giza Plateau, just two kilometers from the Pyramids and the Sphinx, the GEM spans approximately 500,000 square meters, making it the largest museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization.

After two decades of construction, the billion-dollar complex was officially inaugurated on Saturday evening in a ceremony attended by international delegations, including heads of state and government.

The museum houses over 100,000 artifacts spanning millennia of Egyptian history, including a 12-meter-tall, 3,200-year-old statue of King Ramses II.

“For the first time, tour operators are designing entire programs around the museum, with week-long visits focused solely on exploring its treasures,” Othman told Xinhua, noting the GEM’s strong economic impact on Egypt’s tourism sector.

He added that the museum has already created tens of thousands of jobs and spurred new business opportunities in Giza, while encouraging visitors to travel onward to Luxor and Aswan, where many of the displayed artifacts were originally discovered. This, he said, is generating a new tourism flow from Cairo to Upper Egypt rather than competing with it.

Tourism remains one of Egypt’s main sources of foreign currency, alongside remittances, Suez Canal revenues, and exports. The sector earned 15.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, a 9 percent increase from the previous year, with 15.7 million visitors recorded. The government now aims to attract 18 million visitors in 2025.

During the ceremony, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said the museum is expected to welcome 15,000 visitors daily, or about 5 million annually, positioning it as a major driver of future tourism growth.

The centerpiece of the museum is the complete collection of Tutankhamun’s treasures, comprising 5,992 artifacts, including the pharaoh’s golden mask, gilded coffins, royal chariots, and personal belongings - displayed together for the first time since the tomb’s discovery in 1922.

Abdel Fattah al-Assi, former assistant minister of tourism and antiquities, said the GEM gives Egypt a stronger competitive edge in global tourism. “It’s a one-of-a-kind museum devoted entirely to ancient Egyptian civilization,” he said, adding that global publicity surrounding its opening has already sparked renewed international interest.

Al-Assi noted that revenues from ticket sales, services, and cultural tourism will generate valuable foreign currency for Egypt, comparing the GEM’s potential impact to that of the Suez Canal. He said the museum’s proximity to the Pyramids, along with new infrastructure developments such as highways, hotels, and the Sphinx International Airport, will make Cairo more accessible and attractive to tourists.

“The GEM will reshape Egypt’s tourism map, especially in Cairo,” al-Assi said. “Its impact on the country’s tourism industry and economy will be profound.”

Source: Xinhwa News Agency