By Akram Medhat
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of Tourism, met Salim Edde, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for the Middle East and North Africa at the global company Google, and they discussed ways of cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Google in various fields, on the sidelines of participating in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, held from April 6 to 7 this month in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
During the meeting, some proposals for cooperation and partnership with Google in several fields were discussed, as company officials proposed that Google prepare visual content on some Egyptian tourist areas, especially lesser-known places, and promote them through modern formats that are not just pictures but rely on stories about the places to attract followers around the world.
Google also proposed creating interactive applications about Egyptian museums, similar to what the company has implemented with a number of major museums around the world.
Ways of cooperating and benefiting from the digital training programs offered by Google to enhance various skills were discussed, and Google officials pointed to the possibility of preparing special programs to raise the skills of workers in the tourism sector, as part of the ministry's executive training plan, which the ministry prepared in cooperation with the private sector.
The company's Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for the Middle East pointed to Google's interest in youth startups, explaining that the company has many programs to support these companies. In this regard, Dr. Rania Al-Mashat explained that the ministry recently held the first national competition for tourism startups to select projects and electronic applications that shed light on tourist landmarks and sites in Egypt and promote Egyptian tourism in innovative ways, noting the possibility of discussing ways in which Google could support such companies in Egypt.
The company invited the Egyptian Minister of Tourism to join Google's campaign for women leaders in the Arab region, and also invited her to speak at the company's forum to support women at work.
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat stressed that the Ministry of Tourism is currently updating its marketing and promotional tools and using the most widespread modern digital platforms that are most interactive with people, noting that these important platforms and social media sites have become among the most important means tourists, especially young people, use to choose their travel destinations and programs.
Al-Mashat reviewed the pillars of Egypt's new promotional campaign, namely People to People, promoting the Grand Egyptian Museum, and promoting each governorate or tourist attraction independently.
