Presenting 11 Tourism “Oscars” to Egypt

Lonely Planet has added this country to its "Best Travel Destinations for 2024" list and awarded it sixth place in the "Best Value Destinations" category². There, you can let your worries disappear like a desert mirage. You guessed it — it's Egypt, and today it shines on the red carpet, illuminated by the flash of cameras from all sides. The star of the day is posing for front-page headlines — and we're inviting Egypt (and you too) to the grand ceremony where we will present 11 awards of our very own Tourism “Oscars¹”! Exactly 11 years ago, the first flight of Join UP! to Hurghada has taken off.

1. Join UP! Year-Round Destination

Just look at this beauty! Egypt shines as the star in family sagas — it's the perfect hero of all-inclusive vacations³ . It also fits perfectly into playful romantic comedies and adventure films, with Nile cruises, treasure hunts in the Red Sea, and pyramid explorations. Egypt is magnificent in any season, making it the undeniable winner of the first nomination: Join UP! Year-Round Destination. That’s what travelers have decided, as more than 3 266 734 tourists have already traveled with us to Egypt.⁴ 

2. The Most Popular Location

The Most Popular Location award didn’t require a vote — the statistics spoke for themselves. Egypt made it into the top 10 most Googled countries in 2023. Agree, this fact immediately elevates the nominee to Oscar-winning status — and twice as fast as Leonardo DiCaprio.

3. Best Masterplan

In cinema, we would call this a brilliant script — the kind that ensures the plot unfolds with rich details and ever-changing scenery that captivates the eye. In tourism, this is the Best Masterplan⁵ . Clearly, it's coming to fruition year by year, adding even more charm to the local resorts. See for yourself: in 2023, Egypt added 14,000 hotel rooms, and by the end of 2024, another 25,000 are planned. Existing hotels have reached an 85.1% rating in the Global Review Index (GRI) for hotel services.

4. Best Role

The Oscar for Best Role — thankfully, there are several of these because choosing just one would be tough. One, of course, goes to Sharm el-Sheikh. This resort is no stranger to the spotlight, having already won the Gold Award from the Afro-Asian Union (AFASU) as the safest tourist destination and receiving the Best Sustainable Tourist City award from the Arab Union of Tourism Media.

5. Another Best Role

Another Best Role award goes to Hurghada. It’s hard to argue with this decision, considering its gentle breezes and sloping sandy beaches — the perfect peaceful backdrop for recharging before diving into ticking off items on your travel checklist. In addition to this, Hurghada ranked third among natural destinations and earned the Travelers’ Choice award, a recognition given to only 1% of 8 million properties on Tripadvisor.  Who’s ready for an autograph?

6. Best Visual Effects 

The next award combines Best Visual Effects with a deep commitment to environmental care. The Instagrammable El Gouna — with its elite development, stone bridges over canals, and bold futuristic arches — has become the first city in Africa and the Arab world to receive the status of a "Global Green City". We’re calling it to the stage — and, of course, a group selfie is in order! The city aims to become the first in Africa to achieve zero carbon emissions. Over 85% of all waste in El Gouna is recycled and reused.

7. Oscar for Best Song

The ceremony continues, and the Oscar for Best Song goes to Luxor. How is this possible? Close your eyes and picture the landscapes of one of the world’s oldest inhabited cities — with a 99.9% chance, you’ll hear the melody of "Arabian Nights" playing in your head⁶ .  Luxor is often called the world’s largest open-air museum, with nearly a third of the world’s ancient monuments located here and in its surroundings. The Luxor Temple, the Karnak Temple, the rock tombs of Ramses I, VI, VII, and IX, Thutmose, and Amenhotep in the Valley of the Kings, and the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari — history and beauty merge here, never ceasing to amaze.

8. Best Immersion

A special gold statuette for Best Immersion goes to Cairo — where even the aromas immerse you in its historical landscape! The sixth-largest metropolis in the world has its own unique olfactory profile. The scent of Damask rose, bathed in precious dew, melts into sun-warmed wood, blending with saffron and incense — fragrances of the gods, as they say — along with patchouli and vanilla. This is how Cairo is captured by Penhaligon's. It almost feels like a caravan of merchants with bundles of colorful fabrics and baskets of fragrant spices is about to appear around the corner.

9. Best Casting

We’ve taken a trip to the past, so now let’s look into the future. Did you know that in 2026, the Academy Awards will introduce a new category — Best Casting? We’re already reserving the tourist version of this award for Cairo, and here’s why: it has been named the tourism capital for 2026 among the member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). What does this mean? By then, Cairo is recognized as the leading tourist destination for 57 nations, 56 of which are also members of the United Nations.

10. Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement

The award for Scientific and Technical Achievement undoubtedly belongs to Egypt’s ancient collections. It begs the question: do you remember Egypt when it was just starting its rise to the peak of popularity? Well, Egypt does — cataloging, preserving, and promoting its history to the public! For example, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo in Tahrir Square, the oldest archaeological museum in the Middle East, houses around 120,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts. The Grand Egyptian Museum, valued at approximately $1 billion and under construction since 2013, is expected to be the largest museum in the world.  Currently, only a few indoor areas, galleries, and nearby gardens are open to visitors, with the full grand opening planned for the end of 2024.

11. Best Costume Design

We can’t overlook the award for Best Costume Design, and we owe thanks to the ancient Egyptians for that. If the Great Sphinx of Giza impresses you only with its size, how about the sculptures of the goddess Taweret? She was depicted as a hippopotamus with the breasts and belly of a pregnant woman, the paws of a lion, and the back and tail of a Nile crocodile!

The camera shutters click, luxury watch dials glisten, and beach tunics shimmer — some as opulent as evening gowns... Maybe it’s time to watch that vacation video again or reminisce about your first trip to Egypt. Or perhaps now is the perfect time to plan the next one?

¹ One of the most prestigious awards in cinema, with multiple categories

² https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel#egypt

³ All-inclusive hotel service system

⁴ According to the internal statistics of Join UP! for the entire period of work across all markets

⁵ A strategic document outlining development directions and long-term goals

⁶ Soundtrack of the 1992 Walt Disney animated film Aladdin, composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman