Source : the age
Egypt welcomed a record 19 million international tourists in 2025, up 21 per cent in a year. And Australians are among those, with almost 27,000 Australian residents returning from trips to Egypt in the year to June 2025, according to government data.
The Nile is riding the broader tourism resurgence. Established river-cruise operators are adding capacity, with Viking expanding its fleet to 12 Nile vessels by 2027.
Now, after an absence of more than a decade, APT Travel Group’s Travelmarvel has returned to the Nile, launching its first sailing aboard Travelmarvel Sirius, an extensively refurbished ship.
APT chief executive David Cox says Australian travellers are becoming “increasingly confident and adventurous” about where they’ll cruise.
“While Europe remains incredibly popular, there’s growing interest in discovering other parts of the world through river and small-ship cruising.”
Travelmarvel Sirius carries 124 guests in 62 cabins, with a crew-to-guest ratio of about 1:1.6. While the vessel itself isn’t new, it has undergone an extensive transformation for its Travelmarvel debut.
Cox says it was “effectively stripped back to its hull and rebuilt from the ground up”, with interiors redesigned to reflect Egypt and facilities including a main restaurant, casual cafe terrace, expansive sun deck and swimming pool.
The seven-night Nile cruise operates between Luxor and Aswan as part of longer Egypt itineraries beginning in Cairo. Guests visit some of the country’s blockbuster ancient sites, including Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, Abu Simbel and Philae Temple, with touring led by qualified Egyptologists.
Cox says the majority of bookings so far are coming from existing Travelmarvel customers.
“We’re also seeing interest from experienced river cruisers seeking something beyond Europe’s waterways and travellers fulfilling a long-held ambition to visit Egypt.”
But Cox says the returning traveller wants more than a procession through the ancient world’s greatest hits.
“Today’s travellers still want to experience the iconic highlights, but they’re also looking for authentic cultural insights and a greater understanding of the history and people behind them,” he says.
Demand, Cox says, has been spread across the season rather than clustering around a handful of departures, with guests already booking into 2028.
Sirius also represents a slightly different proposition from the luxury end of the increasingly competitive Nile market.
APT Travel Group operates both the luxury APT brand and the more value-focused Travelmarvel. Cox says choosing the latter for the group’s return to Egypt reflects the destination’s increasingly broad appeal.
“Egypt appeals to a broad range of travellers, from first-time visitors ticking off a bucket-list destination to experienced cruisers looking for something new,” he says.
“We saw an opportunity to offer a Nile cruise that combines comfort, expert-led touring and exceptional sightseeing at a price point that appeals to a wide audience.”
The choice also reflects how river cruising is expanding beyond its traditional European heartland. Exotic waterways are hardly new to adventurous travellers, but established river-cruise operators are increasingly giving their existing customers more options to venture further afield.
On Sirius, the Egyptologists accompany guests throughout the journey, rather than their expertise being confined to organised excursions. And as anyone who’s done river cruising knows, it is often in the little vignettes glimpsed between stops that the magic is found. Having an expert on hand to explain what you’re seeing makes those moments all the more rewarding.
See travelmarvel.com
Julietta Jameson is a freelance travel writer who would rather be in Rome, but her hometown Melbourne is a happy compromise.Connect via email.
