Shortly after Invest-Gate hosted its 24th—and first of 2025—roundtable discussion on the role of the hospitality sector in boosting tourism and achieving Egypt Vision 2030, the government responded to a number of key recommendations. The event, titled “Towards New Horizons: Branded Residences and Hospitality in Egypt”, saw the participation of Yomna Elbahar, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; Eng. Abdel Khaleq Ibrahim, Assistant Minister of Housing for Technical Affairs; and a high-level gathering of developers, real estate experts, and industry leaders. The session explored the future of branded residences and luxury hospitality in Egypt.
The discussions shed light on local and global best practices to accelerate the development of luxury housing and hospitality, support Egypt’s tourism goals, attract international investors, and encourage sustainable development and innovative solutions for long-term growth. The dialogue also aimed to solidify Egypt’s position as a leading global destination for luxury living and hospitality.
The roundtable produced several critical recommendations, including: introducing clear regulations to streamline the licensing of hotel units; revisiting technical standards for hotel projects to provide developers with more flexibility without compromising tourism product quality; reassessing hotel room allocation policies in tourism hotspots like Ain Sokhna and Hurghada; and developing a unified model for hotel apartments in collaboration with the government to make it easier for investors to adopt.
In line with Egypt’s ongoing efforts to advance the tourism and real estate sectors and attract investment, the Ministry of Tourism has officially responded to these recommendations—an effort aimed at elevating the quality of tourism services across Egypt, consistent with the Vision 2030 target of drawing 30 million tourists annually.
On April 6, 2025, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi issued a ministerial decree outlining the terms and regulations for licensing Holiday Home units, a newly introduced model within the broader category of hotel accommodation.
The decree draws upon Law No. 8 of 2022 concerning hotel and tourism establishments, its executive regulations, and Law No. 27 of 2023 regarding the establishment of tourism chambers and their union. It underscores the significance of these new regulations in shaping a fresh accommodation model for tourists and legalising existing units. This move contributes to the Ministry’s goals of ensuring quality across services offered at Egypt’s tourist destinations.
The minister emphasised that the newly outlined standards aim primarily to guarantee high levels of quality, safety, security, and comfort within accommodation units, ensuring their readiness to host tourists.
The Ministry has also simplified and streamlined the licensing procedures and requirements for this accommodation model, which is already operational in some Egyptian tourist areas. The Ministry, represented by the Central Administration for Hotel Establishments, Shops, and Tourism Activities, will begin enforcing the decree starting the day after its publication.
Mohamed Amer, Head of the Central Administration for Hotel Establishments, Shops, and Tourism Activities at the Ministry, explained that licensing these units requires the submission of the necessary documents, fulfilment of the specified conditions and requirements, and payment of the fees outlined in the ministerial decree.
Unit owners or operators must notify the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities electronically via the official form published on the Ministry’s website and complete all procedures required to obtain the tourism eligibility certificate, in line with the designated guidelines. They must also ensure payment of all legally stipulated fees.
Under this decree, Holiday Home units are defined as any unit comprising at least one room, suite, or villa, located in an independent building or part of a building, with access to basic services. These units must be intended for hosting both Egyptian and foreign tourists and must be located in a tourist area or a well-established residential community.
The roundtable was held on Sunday, February 16, 2025, at the Nile Ritz-Carlton Hotel, moderated by Mr. Moataz Sedky, General Manager of Travco Holidays Egypt. It welcomed an elite group of senior officials, executives, and experts from Egypt’s real estate sector, including Mr. Mohamed Ayoub, Chairman of the Egyptian Hotels Association; Eng. Fathallah Fawzy, Vice Chairman of the Egyptian Businessmen’s Association and Chairman of the Real Estate Development and Contracting Committee; Eng. Ahmed El Nesr, CEO of ALDAU Development – Real Estate Division; Eng. Tamer Nasser, CEO of City Edge Developments; Mr. Omar El Tayebi, CEO of TLD – The Land Developers; Ms. Dahlia El Kordy, CCO of A Capital Holding; Mr. Omar Abdel Ghaffar, Managing Director and Board Member of Travco Properties; Mr. Moataz Amin, Founder and CEO of Prime Hospitality Management Group; Eng. Ahmed Ehab, CEO of Madaar Development; Mr. Abdelmeguid Amer, Board Member of Amer Group; Eng. Mohamed Alaasar, Chairman of Margins Developments; Dr. Mohamed Abd El Gawad, Founder and Chairman of Vantage Developments; and Mr. Ahmed Youssef El Araby, CEO of Kelma Development Consulting.