Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced that it has started with the electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) system for the museums at Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada.
The new system also applies to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and will take place through advanced reservation kiosks. The service can be accessed through credit cards, electronic wallets, and contactless cards.
The move comes in line with the ministry’s implementation and activation of the digital transformation project for Egypt’s museums and archaeological sites.
Iman Zidan, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for the Development of Archaeological Sites and Museums, said that the three museums are the first to activate the digital transformation project. The ministry started the project in cooperation with E Finance.
The first electronic platform will also be launched to reserve tickets for the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. This will be available upon the transfer of the royal mummies to the museum and the opening of two halls, which will facilitate the visitors experience and reduce paperwork.
Zidan confirmed that the project will be implemented in 30 museums and archaeological sites in across Egypt, most notably in Cairo, Giza, Luxor, and Aswan. This will come in addition to providing special offers for frequent visitors and pre-reservations, as well as promotional offers for various events.
The project includes the automation of gift shops and reservation outlets, whereby a system will be created for coding and data entry, and providing point of sale devices. This is in addition to ensuring specialised printers and adding the payment process using cards.
The electronic reservation platform also allows central reports through revenue tracking screens, all according to a global system used at global attractions in Europe and the US.
The development of electronic gates will help regulate visitor traffic to the ports, and tickets are accepted by the barcode system and contactless cards, as well as specialised gates that bear peak times and exposed sites. This is in addition to implementing the validity system for tickets and preventing their use for more than one visitor.
The digital transformation of sales channels is carried out by providing four different electronic methods for booking tickets to archaeological sites and museums.
It will take place through an online booking platform, a mobile application, as well as developed gates for reservations in archaeological sites and museums. The system also allows for visitors to make reservations available through a digital platform for booking group tickets for tourism companies and selling agents.
It includes activating electronic payment services by cards and electronic wallets, all of which works to achieve a streamlined technique during peak times using the scheduling feature.
The new system also helps achieve ease and diversity which allows designing a selection package for each customer according to their preferences. It also includes value-added products to the entrance ticket such as fast track and audio guide headsets.
The system comes with the possibility of creating innovative visiting programmes and marketing plans, to encourage visiting tourist places such as Annual Passes, a Cairo Pass, and a Luxor Pass.
