Egypt is preparing to introduce a dedicated national digital gateway — the National Health Tourism Platform — as part of its broader ambition to become one of the world’s top 10 medical and wellness tourism destinations by 2030. The platform, announced by Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, aims to streamline the full continuum of the international patient journey in Egypt — from pretreatment enquiries and bookings through hospital stay, wellness services and post-treatment follow-up, all the way to departure.
The platform will provide foreign patients with a single portal for browsing accredited providers, comparing treatment packages, arranging arrival logistics and accessing multilingual support and data-protection safeguards. Built to integrate both medical and wellness tourism, the service will allow non-Egyptian patients to plan and manage their journeys, preview facilities and therapies, book transportation and accommodation, and ensure continuity of care via telemedicine and follow-up modules. In parallel, the government is finalising accreditation standards and service quality benchmarks for participating hospitals, ensuring alignment with international norms.
The roll-out is expected in November, under the umbrella of Egypt’s National Health Tourism Strategy for 2030, which calls for enhanced digital infrastructure, upgraded human-resource capacities, aggressive international marketing and sustainable tourism models. The recently established National Council for Health Tourism will oversee the platform, coordinate with public and private providers and submit quarterly reports on its progress. Egypt’s push builds on earlier work: in 2024 the country recorded a roughly 200 per cent year-on-year increase in inbound medical tourists (about 12,000 patients from 50+ countries) under the “We Care for You in Egypt” initiative.
To realise the vision of becoming a global health-tourism hub, Egypt will leverage its pool of experienced physicians, modern hospitals, natural-therapy resources and competitive pricing. Academic research has pointed to “destination-specific pull factors” — such as tourism amenities, historical attractions and environment safety — as significant drivers of foreign patient interest in Egypt’s medical-tourism potential. Investment incentives are also in place: in a recent dialogue with the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones Egypt reaffirmed incentives for healthcare-sector investment that aligns with its Vision 2030 objectives: localization of technology, export of services, training of personnel and social impact.
Looking ahead, this platform promises to centralise Egypt’s medical-tourism value chain and offer a transparent, integrated experience for international patients. By 2030, success will be measured not only in visitor numbers and foreign exchange earnings, but also in enhanced service quality, stronger health-infrastructure exports and the positioning of Egypt as a credible alternative to established medical-tourism hubs. While execution will demand regulatory cohesion, robust digital systems and sustained marketing abroad, the launch marks a material stepping-stone in Egypt’s health-tourism transformation.
