Qatar’s $30bn Egypt mega resort bet signals a new North Africa tourism race.

Qatar and Egypt have signed one of the region’s biggest tourism and real estate partnerships, with Qatari Diar and Egypt’s New Urban Communities Authority agreeing to develop the Alam El Roum project on Egypt’s North Coast in Matrouh Governorate. The announced value is about $29.7 billion, and the vision is not a single resort but an integrated coastal city designed for year round living, leisure, and investment.

Alam El Roum is planned across roughly 4,900 acres with 7.2km of Mediterranean beachfront, positioning it as a statement project in the same conversation as the North Coast’s fastest growing destinations. The plan includes residential neighbourhoods, luxury resorts, tourism and entertainment assets, artificial lakes, golf courses, and three marinas, one of them international.

What makes this deal important for founders and executives is the infrastructure layer. The development is expected to include power distribution, desalination and treatment plants, schools, universities, hospitals, and a service free zone. This is the new playbook for mega tourism projects: destination plus services plus long term population, so the asset can earn beyond peak seasons.

The deal structure also signals seriousness. The agreement includes a reported $3.5bn cash price and an in kind component of 396,000 square metres of built up area, with profit sharing that allocates 15% of profits to NUCA after Qatari Diar recovers costs. Arabian Business For Egypt, it is investment inflow and jobs. For Qatar, it is strategic positioning in a high potential tourism corridor linking the Gulf’s capital with North Africa’s coastline.

Pan African Voice readers should zoom out. The real opportunity is not only construction contracts. It is the ecosystem that follows: hospitality supply chains, entertainment, experiences, mobility, fintech for tourism, and workforce training. When a mega resort city is built, whole categories of businesses get created around it. The founders who win are the ones who arrive early with services that scale.