World Travel Market (WTM) London, the world’s most influential travel event, has announced the Egyptian Tourism Authority as its Premier Partner for 2026.
Following the exclusive launch of Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold: The Exhibition, an official signing ceremony was held on Thursday, 26 February at Neon at Battersea Power Station. The partnership was formally confirmed by Chris Carter-Chapman, Event Director at WTM London; Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Authority; and Sherif Fathi, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
Egypt has been a longstanding partner of WTM London and has had a presence at every event since the inaugural WTM London which took place in 1980.
In recent years, the authority has significantly strengthened its presence at WTM London. Its stand space expanded by more than 20% between 2023 and 2024, followed by a further increase of over 50% in 2025. Overall, this represents an almost 90% growth since 2023, with the 2025 stand welcoming around 90 co‑exhibitors, underlining the event’s growing importance as a platform for collaboration and industry engagement.
Negotiations for an even larger presence in 2026 are under way. WTM London also welcomes a growing number of travel suppliers who exhibit independently of the tourism authority. Last year for example, flag carrier EgyptAir had its own stand with a number of hotel chains, resorts and destination management companies also exhibiting on the show floor.
Egypt’s growing presence at WTM London and its Premier Partner status reflects the nation’s commitment to its tourism industry and builds on other successful initiatives to increase inbound tourism numbers. In 2025, the government confirmed it welcomed nearly 19 million international visitors, a 21% increase on 2024 and well above the global growth rate of 5%.
It added that Egypt was served by flights from nearly 200 cities around the globe, highlighting Egypt’s global appeal.
Looking ahead, authorities are aiming to achieve 30 million tourist arrivals by 2031. The WTM Global Travel Report 2025, in association with Tourism Economics, predicted a 27% increase in inbound tourism spending between now and 2030.
Ahmed Youssef, CEO of the Egyptian Tourism Authority, said: “WTM London has been instrumental in helping Egypt to become one of the world’s most popular outbound leisure destinations. We intend to take full advantage of our Premier Partner status to promote the world’s oldest tourism destination to an even wider range of source markets and traveller types”.
Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathi said, “Our Premier Partnership with WTM London reflects Egypt’s strategic vision to position itself as a leading global tourism destination. We will use this important partnership to promote our vision, ‘Egypt – Unmatched Diversity,’ which highlights the extraordinary breadth of experiences our country offers. Building on the strong growth momentum achieved in 2025, we remain fully committed to expanding our international presence and strengthening partnerships across key markets.
The Minister emphasised the importance of signing this agreement on the occasion of the opening of Ramses and the Pharaoh’s Gold: The Exhibition in London, highlighting the importance having strong international presence and strategic partnerships in advancing Egypt’s global tourism positioning”.
Chris Carter-Chapman, Event Director, WTM London, said: “We are delighted to have secured the Egyptian Tourism Authority as our 2026 Premier Partner this early in the planning cycle. We’re excited to work with them over the coming months as they seek to achieve their growth aims and propel them towards their target of 30 million arrivals by 2031.”
WTM London 2026 is taking place from Tuesday 3 November – Thursday 5 November at Excel London.
