Tourism & Hospitality | Friday 26 October, 2018 4:39 am |

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) has concluded its outstanding participation in GITEX Technology Week 2018 which was held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the United Arab Emirates in the period October 14-18.

During its participation, the commission launched five innovative smart solutions utilising some of the most advanced technologies and applications at the global level.

The pavilion of the Commission attracted exhibitors as well as visitors of GITEX who were keen to get familiarized with these smart solutions as well as enterprising initiatives by SCTH to promote the Saudi tourism experience through the adoption of the most advanced technologies.

During its participation in GITEX, the Commission launched the Holo-Journey App which encompassed the integration of three state-of-the-art technological solutions with the aim of enhancing the tourism and national heritage experience in the Kingdom.

As an affirmation of the distinguished and unique achievement of the Commission with regard to the development of the application, SCTH gained an international recognition by Microsoft for the unprecedented achievement at the global level.

The application is considered the first of its kind at the international level in the field of digital transformation, in that it integrates the mixed reality, Blockchain and Internet of Things technologies in one app. This unique accomplishment comes as a testimony to the distinguished work by SCTH as a main player on the global technological creativity map.

SCTH’s participation came in line with its faith in the importance of partnership and cooperation between the public and private sectors to achieve the commission’s goals and guarantee the best level of services to the Kingdom’s visitors and to boost the role of the tourism sector.

In this regard, the Saudi Commission for Technology and National Heritage concluded a cooperation agreement with Jabal Omar Development Company, which is considered one of the biggest real estate developers in the Middle East, to develop the tourism sector in the Kingdom, particularly with regards to services offered to visitors of the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madina and during and after the Hajj and Umra pilgrimage. The agreement aims to help offer the best services and to adapt the most advanced technologies to offer a valuable and distinct tourism experience to visitors.

The Commission also concluded an agreement with Careem Company to make it easier for tourists to access tourist guides and to promote the Kingdom’s tourist attractions as well as festivals and activities organised by the Commission. The agreement enables tourists arriving in Saudi Arabia to plan their trip and field tours in advance before their arrival in the Kingdom.  

Dr. Abdulaziz Mohammed Al-Sheikh, the Commission’s Vice President for Support, said that all visitors to GITEX Technology Week were aware of SCTH’s active and outstanding participation, which was part of the work to realise the vision and leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage.

Dr. Al-Sheikh noted that SCTH’s participation in GITEX 2018 aimed to familiarise GITEX visitors with Saudi tourism attractions and to shed light on the great attention that the wise leadership of the Kingdom gives to tourism and national heritage.

He also praised the exceptional performance by SCTH in the exhibition noting that the Commission’s pavilion has successfully managed to showcase an outstanding package of smart solutions and digital services making use of the latest advances in the digital arena.

The Commission’s pavilion, Dr. Al-Sheikh, said, was very distinguished at the technical level in that it launched five creative smart solutions integrating the most advanced and popular technologies at the global level, which helps to highlight the status of Saudi tourism internationally.

He concluded by saying that the Commission’s participation  in GITEX 2018 also reflects its consecutive successes in the digital transformation field as well as keen interest to develop the digital infrastructure of the sector, which is considered one of the pillars of the national economy.