Egypt’s historical sites and museums generated about EGP 169.02m in revenue last year, compared to EGP 99.13m in 2017, an increase of 70.5%, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
On the occasion of International Museums Day, CAPMAS said on Saturday that the number of Egyptian museums declined to 34 museums in 2018, down from 35 in 2017.
The International Museums Day was adopted by the International Council of Museums since 1977 and is observed on 18 May every year.
This celebration aims to enhance the relationship between museum and the community, with a belief that the museum is not just a building to preserve treasures of historical and cultural heritage, but has become an important scientific centre which contributes to the dissemination of knowledge and science, especially in the most developed countries.
This year celebration is under the slogan of “Museums as Cultural Hubs…the Future of Tradition.”
The CAPMAS also disclosed in its press release that the number of visitors for the historical sites and museums in Egypt recorded 2.845 million people in 2018, up from 2.361 million in 2017, an increase of 20.5%.
In all likelihood, the museums’ revenues are expected to further increase in 2020 after the anticipated inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), which will be one of the largest archaeological museums in the world, and will attract many tourists from around the world, featuring a total of 100,000 artefacts that are being restored to be displayed in the museum.
GEM is built on an area of 117 feddan, and its construction began in May 2005. It will include 19 restoration labs, making it the largest artefact restoration centre in the world.
