Egypt takes gold for culture and heritage at Wanderlust awards
Readers of the British travel magazine Wanderlust voted Egypt the top prize, with a record 8.2 million votes cast by more than 250,000 people.
Egypt won the Gold Award for culture and heritage at the 25th annual Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, a prize decided by readers of the British magazine. Ahmed Yousry, chief executive of the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board, collected the award at the Painted Hall in Greenwich on 4 November, in front of about 500 travel executives.
Wanderlust said the Grand Egyptian Museum had newly showcased the country's ancient treasures. Sherif Fathy, Egypt's tourism and antiquities minister, said the award reflects the country's heritage, its museums and ongoing restoration work meant to preserve sites for future generations. Yousry said the recognition would support campaigns aimed at first-time and returning visitors.
Egypt drew a record 19 million visitors in 2025, and 14.4 million arrived in the first nine months of 2026, up 4 percent from a year earlier. The Grand Egyptian Museum, which opened in November 2025, has drawn more than 6.5 million visitors. Officials now want travellers to stay longer and spend more, while keeping a goal of 30 million annual visitors by 2030.
Why it mattersEgyptian tourism operators and the Egyptian Tourism Promotion Board are the parties directly tied to the award and its visitor campaigns.