As part of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities' strategy to raise archaeological awareness among young people and encourage schoolchildren to visit archaeological sites and museums, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy held a meeting with Ahmed Said, head of the tourism sector at e-Aswaaq Misr, the company implementing the ministry's e-ticketing platform and part of the e-finance Group for Financial and Digital Investments, to discuss the latest developments in implementing the "Rehla" online platform for organizing free school trips for public schools, and ways to maximize the benefit of the e-ticketing system at archaeological sites and museums.
The meeting came in the context of the ministry's keenness to employ modern technology and digital transformation to improve the tourist experience for visitors, as well as to enable public school students to visit sites and museums easily through an organized and safe mechanism.
During the meeting, a presentation was given on the design of the "Rehla" online platform and how it works within the ministry's electronic system, as it will allow public schools to organize their free trips to archaeological sites and museums throughout the year, based on decisions by the boards of directors of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and of the Grand Egyptian Museum and National Museum of Egyptian Civilization authorities, which approved free entry for primary and preparatory school students.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities affirmed the ministry's keenness to employ modern technologies to achieve its goals, foremost among them improving the visitor experience. He also stressed the need to fully complete the platform, review its content, carry out the necessary final tests and launch it before the start of the new school year, helping to facilitate school trip booking procedures and reduce crowding and congestion, while maintaining students' safety and enhancing their tourism and archaeological awareness.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Shaaban, Assistant Minister for Digital Services, explained that the platform was developed in coordination with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education through the integration of databases between the two ministries, as the platform will allow school coordinators, after verifying their identity electronically, to book school trips to 112 archaeological sites and museums available on the platform, according to the allotted time slots and the number of visitors allowed at each site, to avoid crowding and achieve an ideal educational and tourism experience.
Participants in the meeting from the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities included Dr. Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities; Dr. El-Tayeb Abbas, CEO of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization Authority; Alaa Samir, Advisor to the Secretary General for Digital Transformation; and Dr. Rasha Kamal, Director General of the General Department of Archaeological Awareness; and from e-Aswaaq Misr, Dina Raed, Assistant Project Manager of the Rehla platform, and Ahmed Abdel Moneim, Head of the IT Development Team.
It is worth noting that the e-ticketing system makes it possible to buy tickets easily using bank payment cards, which helps reduce crowding at traditional ticket windows and supports the shift toward providing smart, advanced services. Booking channels include the official website, www.egymonuments.com; automated ticket windows; the "Experience Egypt" app, available on the Play Store and App Store; self-ticketing machines; and the group ticket sales center for tourism companies.
Among the most prominent sites available through the platform are the Giza Pyramids area, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Citadel of Saladin, Karnak Temple, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Deir el-Bahari, Abu Simbel Temple, the Grand Egyptian Museum and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
