International Travel and Staycations Drive Growth in Summer Spending in Egypt

  • Summer 2025 spending on Visa premium consumer cards in Egypt rose 44% year over year.
  • Longer getaways captured 66% of travel spend, while European short trip spend rose 54%.
  • eCommerce spending among premium Visa cardholders increased 55%, indicating a growing preference for alternative payment methods

Cairo, 22 September 2025: Visa (NYSE: V), a global leader in digital payments, today released its latest consumer spending insights for the 2025 summer holiday period in Egypt, based on the Visa Consulting & Analytics Retail Spend Monitor. The data reveals an increase of 44% in total summer spending on Visa premium consumer cards compared to 2024, highlighting continued growth in digital payments, higher-value transactions, and evolving travel preferences.

Shifting Consumer Behavior This Summer  

Summer spending in Egypt not only increased compared to last year but also demonstrated changes in consumer behavior. The holiday period saw a 27% rise in travel to both popular outbound tourist destinations and staycations, with planning starting as early as three months in advance for 9% of travelers, 13% planned within 1–3 months, while the majority (78%) opted for last-minute plans within a month. Dining and leisure spend increased by 57%, and digital payments by premium cardholders expanded by 85%, who accounted for a 46% share of overall summer spending.

Travel Trends: 

Short Escapes vs. Extended Gateaways

Consumers in Egypt favored both short stays (under 3 days) and long trips, with longer getaways accounting for 66% of travel spend, and generating higher average spend. European destinations such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Greece saw a 54% increase in short-trip spending.

Outbound Travel

Outbound spend was highest in UAE, France, Spain, USA and Italy with 28% growth. Premium Visa cardholders increased their outbound summer travel spend by 28% and now represent nearly 81% of total summer travel spend.

Inbound Travel

Inbound spending by premium Visa cardholders from the Middle East — particularly the UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan — grew 35%. Premium cardholders from Europe — led by France, Italy, and the Netherlands — saw even stronger momentum, with inbound spend growth at 139%.

Digital and eCommerce Continue to Grow 

Digital spend among premium Visa cardholders rose by 85%. eCommerce spending also increased by 55% within this segment, showing a growing preference for alternate payment methods.

“Consumers in Egypt are embracing digital payment options and experiences more than ever this summer,” said Malak El Baba, Vice President and Country Manager for Visa in Egypt. “Visa is committed to supporting these evolving preferences by providing secure and seamless payment solutions. This summer’s spending trends, highlighted by increases in dining and leisure spend reflect a clear shift towards convenience, trust and elevated experiences with Egyptians choosing digital first ways to plan, pay and celebrate.” 

Visa’s Retail Spend Monitor was produced by Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), capturing total retail, travel, and experience-related activity during Egypt’s summer break (1st July — 15th August), based on a subset of VisaNet data and complemented by survey-based estimates for other payment methods. 

“With the regional expertise of Visa Consulting & Analytics and the scale of VisaNet, Visa empowers clients with actionable insights into evolving consumer behaviors — helping them plan strategically, respond faster to demand shifts, and unlock new growth opportunities, especially during key seasonal moments like the summer holidays,” said Nicolas Khoury, SVP, Head of Visa Consulting & Analytics, CEMEA. 

About Visa’s Retail Spend Monitor

The Retail Spend Monitor insights on national retail sales across all payment types. The findings are based on a subset of aggregate retail sales activity in the Visa payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for other forms of payment. This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into consumer spending behaviors and trends, aiding retailers in strategic planning and market positioning. Premium card definition — Following cards are mapped under Premium category — VISA SIGNATURE, VISA SIGNATURE PREFERRED, VISA INFINITE, VISA INFINITE PRIVILEGE, VISA PLATINUM, VISA ULTRA HIGH NET WORTH

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

The views, opinions, and/or estimates, as the case may be (“views”), expressed herein are those of the Visa Consulting and Analytics team and do not necessarily reflect those of Visa executive management or other Visa employees and affiliates. This content is intended for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon for operational, marketing, legal, technical, tax, financial, or other advice and does not in any way reflect actual or forecasted Visa operational or financial performance. Visa neither makes any warranty nor representation as to the completeness or accuracy of the views contained herein, nor assumes any liability or responsibility that may result from reliance on such views. These views are often based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice.