Bloomberg has listed Cairo among 24 travel destinations around the world in its “Where to Go in 2020” list, with the newspaper’s travel editors urging tourists to visit Egypt for the much-anticipated opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in 2020.
Citing Abercrombie & Kent, an award winning travel company offering luxury vacations in Egypt, Bloomberg highlighted the awaited new mega museum, which is set to house upwards of 100,000 artifacts from the Lower and Upper ancient Kingdoms.
Constructed on approximately 500,000 square meters, the museum is located near the Giza Pyramids and is expected to be one of the largest museums in the world showcasing artifacts from a single civilization.
The museum will also break new ground with King Tutankhamun displays, exhibiting relics unearthed in 1922 that have never been shown before.
The creators of the Bloomberg travel list argued that the GEM would bolster Egypt’s tourism sector, which has struggled amid years of instability following the 2011 uprising.
Egypt’s once ailing tourism industry has witnessed growth of $12.5 billion as of mid-2019, Bloomberg pointed out, a result of global promotion campaigns, projects to attract foreign visitors, and tightened security.
“More forthcoming draws include renovated historic Jewish synagogues such as the 116-year-old Sha’ar Hashamayim and a sumptuous St. Regis by Michael Graves Architecture & Design,” the list added.
Bloomberg also ensured tourists will enjoy the cool weather and thin crowds at Egypt’s best tourist sites during the spring and late fall.
Travel experts also highly recommend paying a visit to Cairo from late April into May, in order to enjoy the holy month of Ramadan in the city, where local celebrations keep restaurants open all night and colorful lanterns and other decorations line the busy streets.
Bloomberg’s “Where to go in 2020” list also included Alaska, Guatemala, Bangkok, Lombok, Ethiopia, Queensland, West Hollywood and other destinations, and the newspaper has also launched a podcast hosted by travel experts “Mark and Nikki,” both of whom have expressed their enthusiasm for the opening of the GEM.
“Cairo is a very very interesting destination in 2020,” the podcast hosts reiterated.
“I am sure that everyone heard that Cairo is building a new museum,” Mark mentioned, adding that the GEM is set to be an extraordinary showcase for Egypt’s ancient treasures.
He went on to point out that several new hotels have opened in Cairo as well, with Nikki urging that 2020 is the year tourists should pay a visit to Cairo.
Lexie Alford, who broke the Guinness World Record as the youngest traveler to visit all of the world’s 196 countries at the age of 21, has also spoke highly of Egypt, selecting the country for the top of Forbes’ “Where to Go Next” 2020 list.
Egypt also topped The Independent’s new travel recommendations list for 2020, with the newspaper also urging people from around the world to pay a visit to Cairo’s much-anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum.
According to official figures provided by The Independent, 11 million people visited Egypt last year. Moreover, the English newspaper predicted a remarkable comeback for the Egyptian tourism sector, especially given the resumption of flights to the South Sinai vacation spot Sharm el-Sheikh.
Meanwhile, Economic Adviser at the World Tourism Organization and member of the UN Economic Commission for Europe Saeed al-Batouti announced that the number of tourists expected to visit Egypt in 2020 will exceed 15 million, an increase which is due in part to returning stability and improvements to the country’s security apparatus.
