Egypt has won gold in the Most Desirable Destination for Culture and Heritage category at the 25th Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, held in London on November 4, beating Japan and Italy in a reader-voted recognition of the country’s ancient heritage and cultural attractions.
The victory marks a significant advance for Egypt, which climbed to first place after finishing outside the published top 10 in 2025. Japan took silver, rising from fourth, while Italy claimed bronze after ranking fifth last year. France and Spain completed the top five, with Greece, the previous winner, falling to sixth.
British travel magazine Wanderlust highlighted the Grand Egyptian Museum’s full opening in November 2025 as a major addition to Egypt’s cultural attractions. The museum connects the story of ancient Egyptian civilisation with the pyramids of Giza and the temples and tombs of Luxor and Aswan along the Nile.
The museum, the world’s largest devoted to a single civilisation, recorded between 5.2 million and 5.3 million visits during its first year, according to its chief executive, Ahmed Ghoneim.
The awards attracted record participation, with 251,461 readers casting more than 8.2 million votes across 23 categories, compared with 208,000 readers and 4.8 million votes in 2025. Wanderlust did not disclose Egypt’s individual vote total.
Ahmed Youssef, chief executive of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, accepted the award at the Painted Hall of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy said the recognition reflected Egypt’s cultural heritage and efforts to preserve archaeological sites, modernise museum services and improve visitor experiences.
Youssef said the award could help attract more travellers interested in culture and heritage while encouraging previous visitors to explore additional destinations across Egypt.
The ceremony coincided with World Travel Market London, where Egypt participated as Premier Partner for the first time. Its pavilion also received awards for stand design and activation, strengthening its exposure to international tourism businesses.
Britain remains a significant source market for Egypt, with approximately 838,000 British visitors arriving during the first nine months of 2026, up 9.4% year on year. Around 1.1 million British tourists visited Egypt in 2025, an increase of 17% from the previous year.
The recognition comes as Egypt’s tourism industry continues to expand, although revenue growth has been slower than visitor growth. International arrivals reached 12.7 million in the first eight months of 2026, up from 12.2 million a year earlier, an increase of approximately 4.1%. Tourism revenues rose to $12 billion from $11.8 billion, a smaller increase of about 1.7%, according to government figures.
The figures underline the importance of increasing tourism earnings alongside arrivals, particularly as Egypt promotes cultural destinations and seeks to encourage longer stays and greater visitor spending.
Accommodation capacity remains a key consideration. According to figures published by the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center, 185 hotels comprising approximately 46,000 rooms were under construction in 2026, compared with 143 hotels and 33,900 rooms in 2025. Transport connections and visitor services are also important to supporting further growth.
Egypt is targeting 22 million international tourist arrivals in 2027, compared with a target of 20 million in 2026. While the Wanderlust award provides additional international exposure for the country’s cultural attractions, its direct impact on bookings and tourism revenues has yet to be measured.
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