[CAIRO] Ten days after fireworks lit up the Giza skyline, the Grand Egyptian Museum’s opening continues to draw attention. The Nov. 1 inauguration of the $1.2 billion complex—two decades in the making—carried a deliberate message: in a region racing to reinvent itself through heritage and power projection, Egypt endures.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi presided over the ceremony, joined by nearly 80 foreign delegations, UNESCO officials, and regional dignitaries. Standing before the colossal statue of Ramses II, he called the museum “a bridge between our glorious past and our ambitions for the future.” Drones painted pharaonic designs across the night sky as orchestras performed against projections of Tutankhamun’s treasures.
Egyptian archaeologist Dr. Monica Hanna said the Grand Egyptian Museum strengthens Egypt’s credibility on the global stage. “It shows that Egypt has done its homework,” she told The Media Line. “We now have the facilities and expertise to care for our own heritage.”
Inside the 490,000-square-meter (5,300,00-square-foot) structure—the world’s largest archaeological museum—visitors encounter more than 50,000 artifacts, including the complete Tutankhamun collection displayed together for the first time since its 1922 discovery. The monumental atrium, anchored by the 83-ton Ramses II statue, presents Egypt as a civilization of permanence.
To put the museum’s scale in perspective, it dwarfs its American counterpart. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York covers about 190,000 square meters of floor space with roughly 50,000 objects on display. The Grand Egyptian Museum’s footprint is more than twice that size. Across the Gulf, the competition works differently: Louvre Abu Dhabi spans just 8,600 square meters of galleries—smaller than the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which covers 18,500 square meters.
That symbolism matters for el-Sisi’s government. The Grand Egyptian Museum is more than a cultural milestone—it is a statement of resilience from a nation facing economic strain. Inflation has surpassed 35%, the pound has been repeatedly devalued, and basic goods grow costlier by the week. Completing a long-delayed megaproject functions as political reassurance: evidence that Egypt can still deliver achievements while the economy struggles.
When millions of visitors come each year, they should leave not only with admiration, but with tangible contributions to Egypt’s economy
Economic analyst Abu Bakr El-Deeb told The Media Line the museum represents both cultural landmark and economic test. “The Grand Egyptian Museum carries enormous cultural weight, but it should also be understood as an economic project,” he said. “It can no longer remain a hall for displaying relics of the past; it must evolve into a center that generates value through tourism, research, education and creative industries. When millions of visitors come each year, they should leave not only with admiration, but with tangible contributions to Egypt’s economy.”
Tourism—responsible for nearly 12% of gross domestic product (GDP)—is central to that plan. Officials hope the museum will attract more than 8 million additional visitors annually and bring steady foreign-currency flows.
“It’s still too soon to tell whether the museum will truly deliver on Egypt’s hopes of driving tourism,” said Hanna, an Egyptologist and heritage advocate.
Cairo envisions the museum as the cornerstone of a “golden triangle” linking the Giza Pyramids, the Sphinx, and central Cairo, turning heritage into an economic engine.
Days before the opening, the government announced another round of currency devaluation and subsidy cuts. While state television aired fireworks and presidential speeches, many Egyptians watched from homes where groceries, fuel, and transportation had become newly unaffordable. “There is a danger that the museum will remain only a cultural facade—a magnificent symbol without real productivity—if the government does not back it with strong economic and investment policies,” El-Deeb warned. “Without that support, the GEM will be an icon, not a growth engine.”
The museum’s origins trace back more than two decades. Conceived under Hosni Mubarak in 2002, construction stalled during the 2011 revolution, resumed under the short-lived Mohamed Morsi government, and accelerated under el-Sisi.
Hanna said the Grand Egyptian Museum offers a chance to reshape how Egypt’s story is told. “I believe the Grand Egyptian Museum will become a space that helps liberate the field of Egyptology itself,” she said. “For too long, knowledge about our past has been written by others. Today, this museum gives us the chance to produce our own understanding of our heritage and to challenge the cultural colonialism that began with the French and British occupations of Egypt. This is our opportunity.”
“Within five years,” she added, “the museum will serve as an important hub for Egyptian scholars in Egyptology and knowledge production—not only for the world, but especially for Egyptians. We have not produced enough of this science in Arabic. Egyptians should be at the top of the museum’s agenda, followed by visitors from around the world. That message came through clearly today in the opening ceremony and its impressive presentation.”
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The opening comes as the region struggles to recover from the tourism collapse that followed the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza. What began as a localized conflict quickly affected visitor numbers from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea.
Israel’s tourism industry, which had welcomed a record 4 million visitors in 2022, saw arrivals plummet by more than 70% in the months following the attacks. Hotels emptied, restaurants closed, and the Ministry of Tourism estimated losses exceeding $4 billion in the first year of the conflict.
The damage extended beyond Israel’s borders. Egypt, which shares a border with Gaza and has played a central role in ceasefire negotiations, watched its Red Sea resorts suffer immediate cancellations. Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada saw occupancy rates crash as European tour operators pulled back.
Jordan faced perhaps the most acute challenge. The kingdom’s tourism industry depends heavily on combined Israel–Jordan itineraries, with many visitors entering through the Allenby Bridge crossing after touring Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. When those crossings became security choke points and regional tensions spiked, the circuit collapsed. Petra saw visitor numbers drop by an estimated 40% through 2024.
For Egypt, the timing could hardly be worse. The Grand Egyptian Museum was designed to anchor a tourism revival when the country badly needs foreign currency, yet it opens into a market still recovering from geopolitical shocks. Regional airlines report that advance bookings remain below pre-conflict levels, and tour operators say clients increasingly favor the perceived safety of Gulf destinations.
Even so, tourism remains a critical lifeline for Egypt’s balance of payments, and the data show resilience alongside the shock. After a late-2023 dip—about 3.6 million visitors in October–December against a 4.2 million target—arrivals rebounded to roughly 2.12 million in January–February 2024, up 8% year on year.
For all of 2023, Egypt still hosted a record 14.9 million visitors, and central bank figures point to roughly $12.5 billion in tourism revenues in the first nine months of fiscal year 2024/25 (July–March), about a 23% increase from the same period a year earlier.
Yet that rebound unfolds amid tougher regional competition. Across the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia has transformed AlUla into an open-air cultural destination with the annual AlUla Arts Festival, the United Arab Emirates has elevated the Louvre Abu Dhabi as a flagship attraction, and Qatar is expanding a constellation of museums—together creating a network of cultural megaprojects aimed at capturing global attention and tourist revenue.
Jordan offers a different model. Petra, the ancient Nabatean city carved into rose-red cliffs, functions as the world’s largest outdoor museum. Rather than competing with sleek contemporary galleries, it offers what Egypt’s indoor treasures cannot: monumental architecture rooted in its original landscape.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Petra drew nearly 1 million visitors annually before Oct. 7 despite limited infrastructure. Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism promotes it as an authentic, adventure-driven experience—an alternative to the curated halls of modern museums.
It’s not enough to display treasures; the visitor must live an emotional and intellectual journey that makes Egypt unforgettable
In 2024, Saudi Arabia welcomed a record 30 million international visitors, generating about $75 billion in tourism spending—the highest in the Arab world. Under Vision 2030, the kingdom aims to attract 150 million visitors a year by the end of the decade, with roughly one-third coming from abroad. Officials say tourism will soon contribute more than 10% of GDP and create over a million jobs, turning the sector into a key pillar of post-oil growth.
The UAE is keeping pace. Its Tourism Strategy 2031 targets a contribution of $122 billion to GDP, $27 billion in new investment, and 40 million hotel guests annually. The Louvre Abu Dhabi has become the centerpiece of the country’s cultural diplomacy, a symbol of how the UAE uses art and architecture to shape its global image and diversify its economy.
Qatar, meanwhile, is building on the momentum of the 2022 World Cup. Tourism authorities say the country is on track to welcome 6 million visitors annually by 2030. Later this month, Doha will open the Lawh Wa Qalam: M. F. Husain Museum, the world’s first institution dedicated entirely to the Indian modernist painter—part of its bid to establish itself as a cultural capital of the Gulf.
Across the region, the Gulf Cooperation Council tourism sector is projected to surpass $370 billion within a decade and create more than a million new jobs. That wave of investment has raised the bar for Egypt, whose government is banking on the Grand Egyptian Museum and other heritage megaprojects to attract visitors and foreign currency. As the Gulf’s distance from active conflict zones gives it an edge, Cairo faces a clear challenge: proving that its cultural legacy can compete in a region rapidly reinventing itself through spectacle, investment, and global tourism.
“The regional race in cultural tourism is intensifying,” El-Deeb said. “Greece, Italy and Turkey capitalize on their histories, while the UAE and Qatar are investing billions in new museums. Egypt must reclaim its leadership by offering an integrated visitor experience—education, entertainment and technology together. It’s not enough to display treasures; the visitor must live an emotional and intellectual journey that makes Egypt unforgettable.”
For Egypt, regaining that position is more than pride. Tourism, remittances, and the Suez Canal remain the country’s main sources of hard currency. As Gulf economies diversify and new hubs emerge, Cairo must ensure its monuments remain the centerpiece of Middle Eastern tourism. Inflation has eroded wages, and austerity measures have deepened poverty. Yet supporters argue that heritage investment can still lay a foundation for long-term recovery—if regional stability returns.
If it’s managed wisely, with modern infrastructure, strong partnerships and transparent governance, it can shift Egypt from dependency on natural resources to a knowledge-based economy rooted in culture
Economists emphasize that the museum’s success will depend on what happens outside its walls: better roads, public transportation, hotels, and urban development. They also acknowledge that factors beyond Egypt’s control—regional security, airline routes, insurance costs, and tourist perceptions shaped by conflict—will determine whether the museum can deliver its promised economic returns.
The unveiling drew global praise. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay hailed it as “a landmark of global heritage that redefines cultural diplomacy.” Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message, commending “Egypt’s stewardship of human civilization.” French and Italian ministers attended, signaling renewed European interest in cultural cooperation.
Financing reflects international collaboration. Japan International Cooperation Agency provided major funding through a long-term loan, while global architectural firms and restoration experts contributed to design and curation. This mix of domestic symbolism and foreign partnership shows how Egypt’s heritage diplomacy also functions as economic diplomacy.
Despite skepticism, even critics concede that the museum represents a remarkable logistical and cultural achievement. For el-Sisi, it fits into a broader narrative—Egypt as a beacon of stability in a volatile region. The museum’s polished marble floors and panoramic views of the pyramids project an image of order and timelessness, in contrast to the turbulence surrounding it.
“The Grand Egyptian Museum is not merely an event—it is a strategic opportunity to redefine Egypt’s place in the global economy,” El-Deeb said. “If it’s managed wisely, with modern infrastructure, strong partnerships and transparent governance, it can shift Egypt from dependency on natural resources to a knowledge-based economy rooted in culture.”