Egypt 'can't grow as projected until there is peace in the region'

The development of new touristic areas will help increase arrivals, he said, highlighting the city of St Catherine in mountainous South Sinai as one such area where new roads were being built and the airport expanded.

“The area is famous for the oldest Christian monastery in the world," he said. "We are working on creating tourism-related infrastructure to attract tourists for meditation, hiking and camping."

Another area attracting investment is Ras Banas on the southern Red Sea coast, south of Marsa Alam. Longer-term, the resort could rival Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada, Fathy claimed, adding: “It will open in stages and take years to develop. 

"Ras Banas has virgin, pristine beaches, and the weather is warmer because it’s further to the south. We are working on better connectivity with Luxor by road, for beach and culture together.”

In the shorter term, the long-awaited official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum, including Tutankhamun’s entire treasure collection, should incentivise visitors, but Fathy remained tight-lipped about when that might be.

“We are testing the museum with a soft opening and we need time to plan the big opening events, which will be on a global scale. But there’s no doubt, once it’s fully open, we’ll see a boost in numbers.”