The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is hosting a unique Leadership Cruise on Egypt’s Suez Canal, one of the world’s most remarkable symbols of global trade.

Attended by over 300 leaders from the public and private sectors, the WTTC Leadership Cruise is supported by the Egyptian Government, with sponsors including the Antonio Lefebvre Foundation, Visit Egypt, Crystal Cruises, Coral Travel Group and luxury tour specialist Abercrombie & Kent.

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of WTTC, said: “Egypt itself is a great example of resilience in the Travel & Tourism sector.  President El-Sisi is a leader who has championed growth in the sector, with Egypt seeing a US$34.4 billion contribution in 2025, as well as an impressive 19 million visitors entering the country.

“The Suez Canal could not be a more fitting location for the WTTC Leadership Cruise, as we bring together public and private sector leaders from all over the world to collaborate on the global recovery.

“WTTC also thanks Egypt’s Tourism Minister and Minister of Planning and Economic Development for their own significant contributions to Egypt’s growth and this historic event.”

It is a sign of Egypt’s unmatched diversity that tourism revenues have increased significantly, from US$4.9 billion in 2020/1 to over US$18 billion in 2025.

With over 2000 km of sandy beaches, Egypt has embarked on an impressive expansion of its tourism infrastructure, aiming to double the number of available hotel rooms, from 240,000 today, and double aviation capacity across its 27 airports. It is also investing in high-speed rail infrastructure.

Egypt’s capital, Cairo, has recently opened the impressive Grand Egyptian Museum, bringing together over 100,000 artifacts, with 20,000 on display for the first time. Across Egypt, there are more than 200 museums and archaeological sites, and seven UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Manfredi Lefebvre, Chairman of WTTC, added: “It is an honour to host the first ever WTTC Leadership Cruise onboard the beautiful Crystal Serenity. Over 300 leaders from our sector have gathered to experience the best of Egypt alongside positive and constructive discussion about the resilience and recovery taking place in the Travel & Tourism sector.”

The Leadership Cruise will include sessions on Egypt’s tourism growth and hear from Ministers and CEOs on their plans for expanding Travel & Tourism offerings in their own destinations and businesses.

According to WTTC’s latest data, Travel & Tourism contributed $11.6 trillion to global GDP in 2025 (9.8% of the global economy) and supported 366 million jobs – one in every nine globally.