Yesterday, Egypt officially inaugurated the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza – its most ambitious cultural project in history, after more than two decades of delays.
Beyond national prestige, the question is economic: is this a project that can bring change to the local economy? According to estimates, Egypt invested at least 1 billion dollars in the project, of which about 800 million came from Japanese loan financing.
The museum is expected to attract 5–7 million visitors annually and, according to conservative estimates, generate about 55 million dollars per year from ticket sales alone. All this is within the tourism sector, which already recorded revenues of 15.3 billion dollars in 2024.
On top of that, there will be additional activity for hotels, restaurants, and transportation, so it is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs. If marketed in combined packages with other attractions in Egypt, the revenue from tourism is expected to increase.