Endless queues, refusals of entry despite purchasing tickets and days when attendance exceeds the official capacity: barely opened the Grand Egyptian Museum found itself at the center of a debate over its ticketing system. Some days recorded 27,000 entries, while the daily ceiling is set at 20,000 visitors. But the controversy also concerns quotas between tourists and locals. Museum director Ahmed Ghoneim confirmed the existence of a distinct split between Egyptians and non-Egyptians, specifying that the ratio would never exceed 60% for either group, one way or the other.
MP Freddy ElBaiady took a public position, denouncing this system as unfair: “any quota, whatever the percentages, must be canceled”he declared in a Facebook post, believing that this system places Egyptians in “ secondary category » in access to their heritage.
Since November 16, the GEM has set up ticketing by time slots, and from December 1, tickets are purchased exclusively online. The posted rate for a local adult is 200 Egyptian pounds (3.60 euros), while that for a foreign visitor is 1,450 Egyptian pounds (26 euros). This price difference between locals and tourists is not unprecedented. The Louvre itself will apply an increase from January 2026 for visitors from outside the European Union and the European Economic Area: the price will increase from 22 to 32 euros. But associated with the GEM quota system, in Egypt this price differential reinforces the impression of inequality: despite the reduced price, tickets for Egyptians are rare and difficult to obtain, accentuating a feeling of exclusion.
GEM is a strategic project for Egypt. The construction of the museum cost nearly 860 million euros; the main building covers 100,000 m² and notably exhibits 5,600 pieces from the tomb of Tutankhamun and a monumental statue of Ramses II. The objective is to attract seven million visitors per year (the Louvre attracts nearly 9 million), by attracting cultural tourism increasingly in demand by the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and soon Saudi Arabia. After a decade marked by instability, attacks and the pandemic, tourism represents in 2024 the equivalent of 25.6 billion euros or 8.5% of GDP, and constitutes a major source of foreign currency. In France, the cultural sector represents 8% of GDP, generating 71 billion euros in revenue.
This controversy comes as Egypt communicates massively on the modernity of its museum and the welcome of visitors. It risks tarnishing this image somewhat: the crowd scenes and accusations of discrimination have been widely relayed internationally.
