Egypt has taken five of the 10 leading positions in the 2026 IQOS Outdoor Dining Index, with Dahab ranking first and Hurghada second, highlighting the breadth of the country’s tourism offering beyond conventional hotel and heritage attractions.
The index, launched by IQOS, Philip Morris International’s heated-tobacco brand, assessed Middle Eastern destinations on factors including climate, restaurant availability, outdoor seating and the number of residents per restaurant.
Dahab, on the Gulf of Aqaba in South Sinai, secured the top position, supported by its moderate climate and relatively dense restaurant market, with around 474 residents per restaurant.
Hurghada ranked second. Some 37% of its restaurants offer outdoor seating, according to the index, while the Red Sea resort records an average annual temperature of about 26°C. Its ratio of roughly 992 residents per restaurant, however, placed it behind Dahab.
Egypt’s representation extended well beyond the two Red Sea destinations. Luxor, Aswan and Sharm El-Sheikh also appeared among the regional top 10, giving Egypt five places in the ranking and spanning beach, cultural and heritage tourism markets.
The ranking is a commercial IQOS index rather than an independent international tourism benchmark, but Egypt’s strong showing comes as its tourism industry continues to expand. The country received 12.7 million tourists during January-August 2026, up from 12.2 million a year earlier, while tourism revenues increased to about $12 billion. Egypt also has a pipeline of around 46,000 hotel rooms across 185 projects, pointing to continued capacity growth.
The broader economic signal is the increasing diversity of Egypt’s tourism product. Dahab, Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh anchor the coastal leisure market, while Luxor and Aswan combine heritage tourism with hospitality and outdoor experiences. That breadth gives Egypt greater scope to raise visitor spending across restaurants, leisure, entertainment and experience-based services, extending tourism revenues beyond accommodation and archaeological sites.
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