Egypt's Min. of Tourism & Antiquities, Communication & Information Technology signs cooperation agreement

 

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el-Enany and Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat attended the signature a cooperation agreement between the two ministries to develop the technological infrastructure of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

 

 

The agreement was signed by Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Tourism Affairs Ghada Shalaby and Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Infrastructure Affairs Raafat Hindi.

 

 

The duration of this protocol agreement is three years. It aims at achieving digital transformation to develop and improve tourism services.

 

 

It also aims at highlighting opportunities to enhance financial resources as one of the most important factors of economic growth.

 

 

Moreover, the agreement also aims at documenting and digitalizing information about Egyptian antiquities, in addition to raising archaeological awareness and introducing the services provided by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and its activities to the local and international communities, and contribute to the resumption of tourism to Egypt in the coming period and increase inbound tourism.

 

 

 

Enany said that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology had always provided technical support to the Ministry of Antiquities and is continuing its support now after the merge of the ministries of Tourism and Antiquities, as this is the third protocol to be signed with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the fields of tourism and antiquities.

 

 

He added that the "benefits from the protocol signed today is two folds; it highlights tourism services, and helps promote the Egyptian tourism product in addition to providing new digital tourism services to improve the tourist’s experience in Egypt; and at the same time it provides a very important service which is documenting Egyptian artifacts."

 

 

Also, Enany said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry posted virtual visits of archeological sites on its social media platforms. An initiative that proved to be very successful, and was praised by international and local media

 

 

This prompted the ministry to focus more efforts on digitalization, which will be achieved with the support of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

 

 

He added that this protocol is part of the strategy of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities to achieve the goals of sustainable development and build an accurate information system about Egypt’s various tourism and cultural products.

 

 

It also helps build a diversified economy that depends greatly on the availability of services; the most important of which are tourism and antiquities services.

 

 

He described the protocol as the start of a more powerful cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, pointing out that the beneficiaries are tourists and citizens; in addition to preserving antiquities for future generations.

 

 

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat, explained that this protocol is a continuation of the ongoing cooperation between the two ministries in a number of projects to use ICT services in promoting Egyptian tourism at the global level, in addition to introducing the unique archaeological treasures of Egypt to the world.

 

 

He added that this protocol is part of the ministry’s efforts to achieve cooperation with all ministries in order to build a virtual Egypt that provides digital services in line with global technological development.

 

 

Furthermore, Talaat added that this cooperation will utilize modern technologies to document and display information on Egypt’s cultural heritage, in addition to showcasing touristic services provided; and making all this accessible to Egyptians and the world.

 

 

That is in addition to using information technology to maximize communication between tourists and touristic attractions in Egypt, through the development of portals and mobile applications.

 

 

 

Talaat indicated that the protocol includes the implementation of a project to document, display and make antiquities available through virtual tours of museums and archeological sites in Egypt using AR techniques, which represents an element that attracts tourists to come to Egypt.

 

 

The scope of the protocol includes developing applications, portals and mobile applications, in addition to creating new websites for the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and developing its portals.