Egypt: The Egyptian Government has announced plans to tighten short-term rental regulations in the country.
The plans were outlined by Sherif Fathy, Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, in an interview with Asharq Bloomberg. During the interview, Fathy confirmed that the government was set to bring in updated guidelines to ensure the safety, cleanliness and overall quality of accommodations listed on platforms such as Airbnb.
Serviced apartments, shared homes and private rooms will also come under the cover of the fresh legislation, according to Fathy.
Fathy said: “To differentiate between approved and non-approved listings, we plan to introduce an accreditation system for properties that meet the ministry’s standards.”
Tourism is a key contributor to the Egyptian economy. In 2023, 14.9 million visitors from abroad were recorded, while 7.1 million tourists visited Egypt in the first half of 2024 alone, according to national statistics.
As part of the government’s latest tourism strategy, it wants to attract some 30 million tourists annually by 2028. To do so, it will have to significantly increase its accommodation supply, including adding around 250,000 new hotel rooms.
To accelerate the strategy, the cabinet of Egypt has approved an EGP 50 billion [US $982.37 million] initiative to build and operate a wider selection of accommodations, ranging from short-term rentals to hotels and serviced apartments.
