To promote domestic tourism, the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage launched the “Holo Journey” project app last week ”Holo Journey” —the world’s first app to integrate three innovative technological solutions to enhance the tourism and national heritage experience.
The app offers a one-of-a-kind experience for users, utilizing “mixed reality” technology that enables users to take virtual tours of museums and view information and statistics.
A Global Achievement
This app represents an unprecedented global achievement for the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage in the field of digital transformation, as it integrates mixed reality, blockchain, and the Internet of Things in a move that affirms the Authority’s position as a key innovator on the global technology landscape.
For his part, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Al Sheikh, Vice President for Support at the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, that this achievement fulfills the vision of His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, President of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage, to adopt and keep pace with the latest technologies to serve the tourism and national heritage sector in the Kingdom.
Promoting Domestic Tourism
Al-Sheikh explained that the Authority’s unique achievement reflects the advanced level of its institutional work, praising the collaboration with Microsoft Arabia in achieving this outstanding accomplishment, emphasizing the Authority’s continued commitment to keeping pace with technological advancements in the sector, which has enabled it to secure a prominent global standing by winning numerous local, regional, and international awards.
Al-Sheikh added that the Authority’s receipt of a certificate of recognition from Microsoft for this exclusive achievement adds to the Authority’s impressive track record, noting that the Authority is proceeding according to clear plans and strategies to develop the digital infrastructure of the tourism sector by introducing the latest and most popular smart technologies to advance the sector and support the national economy.
In turn, Thamer Al-Harbi, President of Microsoft Arabia, noted that emerging technologies such as “mixed reality,” “blockchain,” and “the Internet of Things” have become an integral part of our daily lives, as hardly a moment goes by without us witnessing the amazing results of these technologies at the individual and business levels. He added that this rapid development in emerging technologies will facilitate communication between humans and machines in the near future.
Supporting Digital Transformation in the Kingdom
Commenting on Microsoft’s role in developing these emerging technologies to enable digital transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Harbi noted that a key component of digital transformation is ensuring that companies possess the necessary technologies to enhance their performance and ensurecontinuity of their operations. Therefore, we see Microsoft’s consistent focus on developing these emerging technologies to empower employees, engage customers, and improve operations, and product innovation, which contributes to driving the digital transformation that is at the core of Saudi Vision 2030.
Regarding the Authority’s receipt of the “Global Achievement Certificate” from Microsoft, Al-Harbi stated: “We recognize the immense efforts made by the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage to achieve such a remarkable accomplishment since our partnership began with the Authority’s inception, as this certificate was awarded to the Authority after confirming that it is the first entity in the world to integrate three emerging technologies to implement the ”Holo Journey” application project.
Providing virtual tours
It is worth noting that the “Holo Journey” project “Holo Journey” is based on the concept of integrating mixed reality technology, the Internet of Things, and blockchain to create unique experiences in cultural heritage and museums, and to manage tourism data in the Kingdom.
Blockchain technology gives users the opportunity to evaluate services to enhance transparency and access transaction records at any time for verification, As for the Internet of Things, it has been employed to harness devices and mechanisms to serve the beneficiaries of this experience. The app also provides users with a unique and rich immersive experience to revolutionize the way visitors interact with museums.
