Egypt is showcasing its rich heritage by opening a museum inside Cairo International Airport to act as a tourist lure for the country’s heritage attractions.

Including 38 artefacts from a selection of the country’s most prominent museums, the new addition to the airport was described as Egypt’s “first gate” for visitors by the Ministry of Antiquities and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, who said it will encourage visitors to learn the "secrets of the Egyptian civilisation" and all it has to offer.

The museum, located inside the airport’s Terminal 3, is representative of the Pharaonic period of ancient Egypt, one typically associated with the country. If the museum is a success, more spaces within the airport will be used to display artefacts. There is also the possibility of setting up similar museums at airports in Sharm el-Sheikh and Hurghada.

In a statement, civil aviation minister Hossam Kamal said the museum would “be a new way to promote tourism and attract tourists, especially ones who stop in Cairo during layovers, encouraging them to visit Cairo and understand its ancient civilisation.”

The opening aims to rejuvenate Egypt’s struggling tourism sector, which has suffered in the wake of the 2011 revolution and the event of 31 October this year, when a flight bound for Russia crashed, killing all 224 passengers and crew on board. Russia has since said the crash was an act of terrorism. The museum was scheduled to open on the same day but was pushed back following the tragedy.

Egypt's tourism minister, Hisham Zazou, said recently that he expects the number of tourists to drop 13 per cent for 2015/2016 and revenues to fall by 15 percent, representing an overall figure of around 9 million visitors for the year. Prior to the 2011 revolution, figures stood at 14.7 million annual visitors. Russia and Britain, two of Egypt’s main tourist markets, suspended all flights to Sharm el-Sheikh in the wake of the alleged terrorist attack.

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