09:39 PM
Friday 09 September 2022
(Masrawy):
This evening, Ahmed Issa, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, and Eng. Naguib Sawiris, CEO of Orascom Investment Holding Company, in the presence of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, Major General Ahmed Rashid, Governor of Giza, and Major General Mohamed Amin, Advisor to the President of the Republic for Financial Affairs, witnessed the start of the trial operation of the visitor center gates on Fayoum Road. And the Khufu restaurant in the international restaurant complex, and internal tours of the region for groups and individuals, in addition to operating the electric bus system, 7 main stations for the visit with integrated services for visitors, and a parking lot for cars and buses for the Visitor Center station within the Giza Pyramids area.
This is within the framework of the cooperation protocol signed between the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Orascom Pyramids Projects to develop, operate and raise the efficiency of services provided to visitors in the Giza pyramids area.
The event was also attended by Ghada Shalaby, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Tourism Affairs, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Eng. Hisham Gadallah, Chairman and Managing Director of Orascom Pyramids, Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, and Amr El Kady, CEO of the Egyptian Authority The General Authority for Tourism Activation, Ahmed Ebeid, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Minister’s Office Affairs, Yomna Al-Bahar, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Technical Affairs, a number of ministry leaders, a number of ambassadors of foreign, Arab and African countries in Cairo, and leaders of Orascom Pyramids Projects.
The trial operation of the first set of environmentally friendly electric cars and buses, and the waiting area at the Visitor Center Station, which accommodates approximately 1,000 cars and buses, has begun with the aim of serving visitors to the Giza pyramids area, who will enjoy a distinct tourist experience where they can view the various archaeological sites in the area, through these buses. And electric cars, which will take them on a tour of the visit area’s path through 7 main stations, starting from the Visitor Center station, passing through Panorama 1 station, then Menkaure’s station, Khafre station, then Khufu station, then Sphinx station, ending at Panorama 4 station before returning to the visitor center.
The main stations include a number of services for visitors, including an information desk, Wi-Fi internet service, smart device charging machines, an electronic mobile application, a set of shaded seats for seating, and outlets for selling gifts, drinks and fast food, in the places specified and approved by the Supreme Council of Antiquities. And other agreed tourism services, such as providing children’s areas, photography sites, as well as automatic teller machines, which comes within the framework of the ministry’s keenness to improve the quality of services provided to visitors in the region, which is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world.
The company also completed the development and rehabilitation of the old building of the engineering department for the region, which was used as a scrapyard, to transform it into a global complex of restaurants that follows the latest international hospitality standards. It is scheduled that this complex will include 10 tourist restaurants built with designs developed in accordance with the requirements of the archaeological area, as well as areas for parking cars and tourist buses for its visitors.
Dr. Mustafa Waziri, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, expressed his happiness with the start of the trial operation of the gates of the visitor center and the environmentally friendly internal transport system in the archaeological area, including buses and cars powered by clean energy, stressing that this comes within the framework of the keenness of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities represented by the Supreme Council of Antiquities. With the aim of improving the quality of services provided to visitors in the region, which is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, with the aim of giving them a distinct and easier tourist experience and at the same time preserving the integrity of the archaeological area, which works to provide an infrastructure, service and entertainment suitable for tourist destinations by working to implement Projects to develop and raise the efficiency of infrastructure and services provided in some world-renowned tourist areas to enrich the Egyptian tourism product and create a competitive advantage.
He also thanked Dr. Khaled El-Anany, the former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, for the initiative he launched to cooperate with the private sector to develop and raise the efficiency of services provided to visitors at archaeological sites and museums in Egypt to improve their tourism experience, which resulted in the cooperation we are witnessing today with Orascom Pyramids Projects.
Waziri added: The Giza pyramids area is not the only one, but in cooperation with the private sector, the efficiency of visitor services has been raised in many archaeological sites and museums, such as the Baron Palace in Heliopolis, Salah El-Din Citadel, the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, and Mohamed Ali Shubra Palace, which will be opened Soon following the completion of the restoration project, and other archaeological areas, pointing out that this project came in light of the 100% engineering completion of the Pyramid Antiquities Development Project, which was implemented by the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces with funding from the government.
In a related context, Eng. Naguib Sawiris, CEO of Orascom Investment Holding, said, “It is a great pride for us that our companies are developing the visiting areas of the world’s first, most famous and important archaeological site on the Giza Pyramids Plateau, with the aim of providing a unique experience for Egyptian and foreign visitors, which contributes to supporting tourism. He pointed out that the new services that Orascom is adding in the region are supported by the latest technologies and take into account international and environmental standards.
For his part, Eng. Hisham Gadallah, Chairman and Managing Director of Orascom Pyramids, expressed his happiness at achieving an exceptional rate of activating and implementing the service development plan in the region, with the trial operation of the visitor center gates on Fayoum Road and the opening of the Khufu restaurant in the international restaurant complex, explaining that the trial operation has begun. For domestic trips for groups and individuals, electric buses and 7 main stations with services for visitors.
The Chairman and Managing Director of Orascom Pyramids indicated that the clean energy system in the Pyramids area is in line with the agenda of reducing carbon emissions, especially in light of Egypt’s preparations to host – the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) – which will be held in Sharm El-Sheikh in Next November, Orascom Pyramids Projects will observe, within the framework of its social responsibility, the highest standards of sustainability and environmental preservation, by relying on new environmentally friendly vehicles and waste recycling, as well as solar-powered road lighting poles, explaining that reliance on recycled products aims to reduce Environmental pollution. We also seek to provide a distinct tourism, cultural and entertainment experience in the greatest historical and archaeological destination in the world through the work team to provide and operate services for visitors to the archaeological area according to the best international standards.
He added, “The time has come for the world to witness the implementation of the new visitor services system for the region and the use of clean energy applications within the Giza pyramids area, the place that represents the most ancient and lofty civilizations,” thanking the strategic partners of Orascom Pyramids Projects, such as (The National Bank of Egypt – Orange Telecom Company). ) for exceptional support and participation in the provision of multiple quality services that support the new services system for visitors, which comes within the framework of the company’s ambitious vision to achieve an unprecedented boom to improve the quality of services provided to visitors in the Giza pyramids area.
It is worth noting that in December 2018, the Supreme Council of Antiquities signed a joint cooperation protocol with Orascom Investment Holding Company to provide and operate visitor services in the Giza pyramids area, provided that the Supreme Council of Antiquities alone and alone will manage the entire archaeological area.
In October 2020, the trial operation of the first environmentally friendly electric bus was launched, as well as the opening of the first restaurant and lounge within the region, the 9 Pyramids Lounge, which is one of the most famous restaurants and is popular with foreigners and Egyptians.
Orascom Pyramids for Entertainment Projects:
Orascom Pyramids for Entertainment Projects, an Egyptian joint stock company, is one of the Orascom Investment Holding companies. Its activity is to develop, manage and operate projects. It is currently developing, operating and providing tourism services within the visiting area of the Giza Pyramids under a usufruct contract with the Supreme Council of Antiquities for a period of fifteen years.