Early this week, the Hilton hotel chain announced the construction of two new premium Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties in Cairo and Alexandria.
The 390-room Hilton Pyramids will be located in an exclusive residential district in the South of Cairo and will have panoramic views of Egypt's main tourist attractions such as the Pyramids and the Sphinx. The hotel will include 18 suites and will cater for business and leisure travel. The property will also have a wide variety of restaurants, a spa and an outdoor swimming pool. The hotel is expected to open in 2016.
In Alexandria, the Hilton Alexandria's ranch resort will provide 195 rooms and will be located close to the recently expanded Borg Al Arab International Airport. The hotel will include a business center, an indoor pool, dining facilities such as a specialty restaurant and an executive lounge. The hotel is expected to open at the end of 2013.
The news come as the tourism industry in the country is starting to pick up. More than 14 million international tourists came to Egypt in 2010, generating US$13 billion in tourism receipts. Following a slow year (tourism levels fell by 32 percent in 2011), tourism in 2012 is up by 29 percent (up to June) after the pro-democratic Arab Spring movement in Africa and the Middle East and the election of Egypt's new president.
The arrival of new president M. Muhammad Morsi has been welcomed by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Regarding the new president's election, the UNWTO Secretary General, Taleb Rifai, said in a statement: "We will work together to encourage investment in all sectors, and restore the role of tourism for the benefit of the Egyptian economy and every citizen in Egypt."