APT Travel Group Nile cruise: How the corporate is returning to Egypt with the newly rebuilt Travelmarvel Sirius

Egypt welcomed a document 19 million worldwide vacationers in 2025, up 21 per cent in a 12 months. And Australians are amongst these, with nearly 27,000 Australian residents getting back from journeys to Egypt within the 12 months to June 2025, authorities knowledge reveal.

The Nile is driving the broader tourism resurgence. Established river-cruise operators are including capability, with Viking increasing its fleet to 12 Nile vessels by 2027.

Now, after an absence of greater than a decade, APT Travel Group’s Travelmarvel has returned to the Nile, launching its first crusing aboard Travelmarvel Sirius, an extensively refurbished ship.

APT chief govt David Cox says Australian travellers have gotten “increasingly confident and adventurous” about the place 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 friends 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 intensive 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 mirror Egypt and amenities together with a principal restaurant, informal cafe terrace, expansive solar deck and swimming pool.

The seven-night Nile cruise operates between Luxor and Aswan as a part of longer Egypt itineraries beginning in Cairo. Guests go to a few of the nation’s blockbuster historic websites, together with Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, Abu Simbel and Philae Temple, with touring led by certified Egyptologists.

Cox says the vast majority of bookings have been coming from current Travelmarvel prospects.

“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 needs greater than a procession by way of the traditional world’s best 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 unfold throughout the season slightly than clustering round a handful of exits, with friends already reserving into 2028.

Sirius additionally represents a barely totally different proposition from the posh finish of the more and more aggressive Nile market.

APT Travel Group operates each the posh APT model and the extra value-focused Travelmarvel. Cox says that selecting the latter for the group’s return to Egypt displays the vacation spot’s more and more broad enchantment.

“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 alternative additionally displays how river cruising is increasing past its conventional European heartland. Exotic waterways are hardly new to adventurous travellers, however established river-cruise operators are more and more giving their current prospects extra choices to enterprise additional afield.

On Sirius, the Egyptologists accompany friends all through the journey, slightly than their experience being confined to organised excursions. And as anybody who’s finished river cruising is aware of, it’s typically within the little vignettes glimpsed between stops that the magic is discovered. Having an skilled readily available to clarify what you’re seeing makes these moments all of the extra rewarding.

See travelmarvel.com