Marina pass price reached 3,000 pounds, and those who bought one will not benefit from it
For the first time, a mobile app for Marina owners enables them to admit their guests through the gates
In a strong start to the 2019 summer tourist season, the management of the Marina El Alamein tourist center has begun serious steps to rescue Egypt's leading summer tourist destination from neglect and from the mafia of traders and profiteers. The new management has taken on an ambitious programme to rediscover "Marina El Alamein" and restore privacy for the some 10,000 families who make up the Marina community, by tightening control over chaotic entry into Marina through applying the world's latest technology to Marina entry passes as well as car badges.
For his part, Hisham Zaazou, chairman of the Tourism Development and Management Company "Marina El Alamein", said that this year, for the first time in Egypt, the resort's passes are equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and a quick response code (QR Code), in addition to watermarks. This means the pass carries all the original owner's data recorded on the computer from national ID cards and children's birth certificates, and passes are issued in a fully automated way, making forgery impossible.
Zaazou added that the other side of securing entry is providing car badges with the same RFID technology, so that they cannot be moved from one car to another, as they will store all of the car's licence data, including its model and plate number. These steps aim to control traffic to and from Marina, which will enforce security and eliminate harassment, catcalling and all disturbances to owners and holidaymakers.
The company's statement said that studying the weaknesses in the entry and exit system and tracking down the pass mafia and traders took time, but the solutions came through technology that overcomes them completely. It added that the traders being caught have been in the habit of spoiling the season in all the coastal villages, and therefore everyone will benefit from developing and securing Marina.
The statement revealed that last week more than 70 passes for various North Coast villages, prepared for sale, were seized from a trader, with a value of more than 200,000 pounds, as the price of a pass had reached 3,000 pounds. Those who fall victim to these traders will not be able to use them in Marina, as they will be detected at the first attempt to enter, especially since cars will only be admitted with the special secured badge.
The new technology also makes it easier for owners to use the new Marina smartphone app, for the first time, to invite their guests to visit, with the guest receiving an entry code carrying his data and the host's data automatically, without human intervention. All these steps and others are under way, in addition to a focus on gradually developing and training staff to stop illegal entry through the gates.
