A grand opening 💎

• GEM opening highlights ✨

• Global guests attend 🌍

• Private sector played an important role 🤝

• Tourism boost incoming 📈

GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEM | OPENING
HIGHLIGHTS: HERE ARE THE BEST BITS OF THE MUSEUM’S OPENING

The Grand Egyptian Museum made headlines with its dazzling inauguration that blended ancient splendor with contemporary spectacle. Here’s what stood out.

Museum unveiling: The opening ceremony unfolded against GEM’s monumental glass façade, with sweeping drone shots capturing the vast plaza and the iconic 11‑meter Ramses II statue flanked by a grand staircase. Inside, first glimpses of the legendary Tutankhamun galleries — housing thousands of of the young Pharaoh’s artifacts never last seen together when they were first discovered — wowed dignitaries and visitors alike, sparking a flood of social media tours and live reactions. The 4,600‑year‑old Khufu solar boat was also also showcased quite majestically, reinforcing GEM’s status as “Egypt’s Louvre moment”.

Cultural performance: Under a gold-lit atrium, celebrated Egyptian singer Angham performed alongside a choir in Arabic and English, while sopranos Fatima Said and Ragaa Eldin delivered original compositions. Violinists Amira and Mariam Abu Zahra performed in Pharaonic‑styled attire, and synchronized dance routines blended folkloric Sufi whirling with multimedia pharaonic projections, drawing enthusiastic applause and trending hashtags such as #GEMUnveiled and #EgyptRises.

Public excitement: Social media users from Cairo to São Paulo celebrated GEM as a new global icon. Visitors shared selfies with the pieces on display, while Egyptian news outlets highlighted attendees calling GEM “a bridge between eras” and “the beating heart of Egypt’s culture.” Tourism leaders hailed the opening as the start of a “golden season” for Egypt’s cultural tourism, with bookings for November and December reportedly breaking records overnight.

Looking forward: GEM is slated to open fully to the public on 4 November, accessible via a direct pedestrian walkway to the Giza Pyramids. Tickets for early tours snapped up within hours, setting the stage for Egypt to host world-class exhibitions and events in the months ahead. The museum’s debut has already reinvigorated national pride and global curiosity, poised to inspire millions for generations to come

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TOURISM DIPLOMACY
GLOBAL GUESTS AT THE GEM OPENING INCLUDE ROYALS, LEADERS, AND OFFICIALS

The Grand Egyptian Museum’s inauguration drew a star‑studded international audience, with 79 official delegations including 39 kings, princes, heads of state and government in attendance. 

Royal & presidential presence: The guest list featured royals from Belgium, Spain, Denmark, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, the UAE, Japan, Thailand, and Luxembourg, alongside presidents from Germany, Ghana, Palestine, the DRC, and many more.

The distinguished attendees included Spain’s King Felipe; Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier; Queen Rania of Jordan, joined by her daughter Princess Salma; Oman’s Crown Prince Theyazin bin Haitham; Bahrain’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa; Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Culture, Prince Badr bin Abdullah; Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof; Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban; and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.

Significance & implications: The meeting reinforces Egypt’s position in regional diplomacy and economic reform and emphasizes long-term stability and a strong desire for foreign visitors.

PRIVATE SECTOR | TOURISM
PM MADBOULY PRAISES PRIVATE SECTOR ROLE IN GEM PROJECT

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly expressed his gratitude to Egypt’s private sector during the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), highlighting its vital role alongside the state in delivering the landmark project.

Strategic collaboration: Madbouly underscored that the museum’s completion was a result of a state‑private partnership model, with major implementation achievements happening in the last seven to eight years — even though the project dates back 30 years and was paused in 2011. 

Global cultural impact: He described the GEM as a “gift from Egypt to the entire world”, noting the museum’s expected annual visitor count of five million and its significance in bolstering Egypt’s cultural‑tourism sector. 

TOURISM & HOSPITALITY REVENUES
FIVE MILLION TOURISTS ANNUALLY FOR THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM: BUSINESS MOGUL MOHAMED MANSOUR

The opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) near the Giza Pyramids is expected to attract over 5 million visitors annually, Egyptian-British business tycoon and billionaire Sir Mohamed Mansour declared during a press conference prior to the museum’s opening. The number could reach up to 7 million — a major uplift for Egypt’s tourism‑driven economy.

Tourism multiplier: Analysts say GEM will not only draw visitors for the museum itself, but also boost hotel stays, shopping, and regional travel packages, helping Egypt move beyond beach‑resort tourism.

Economic ripple‑effect: The surge in cultural visitors is projected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign currency and support thousands of jobs in hospitality, retail and infrastructure — signaling the museum’s role as an economic as well as cultural engine.