“First official city portal in Egypt, LINK Development Presents Luxor Portal to the World, Extended range of online services now available through portal”

Tourists anywhere in the world who wish to find out more about Luxor before their visit to this city of wonders can now avail of a wide range of online services and information with the launch of the Luxor portal, developed and designed by LINK Development in association with Microsoft Egypt.

31 March, 2009

The first official city portal in Egypt (www.luxoregypt.org), which was inaugurated during an official visit by His Excellency Dr Ahmed Nazif, Prime Minister of Egypt, is endorsed by the government in Egypt and offers Egyptian, Arab and international visitors to Luxor an array of benefits. The launch was also attended by His Excellency Zohair Garana, Minister of Tourism and His Excellency Dr Samir Farag, Governor of Luxor.

At a click of a button, Luxor lovers will be able to read about the history of this historic Egyptian city, which sits on the banks of the River Nile, from the world’s best history reference books and accredited sources and to surf new and existing titles about the city and its Pharos from international and local publishers. They can also explore the many official directories available which will guide them through sites, monuments, temples and valleys, helping them plan their trip down history lane to experience the marvels of the world’s first and largest open air museum.

Hanan Abdel-Meguid, CEO of LINK Development says: "Trying to capture the magnificent history of the Pharoes in Luxor and what the town offers its modern visitors 7,000 years later, has been a fantastic journey for the LINK Development team and one that will attract additional interest and more tourists to the area. The fact that the city of Luxor houses one third of the world’s archeological treasures makes such a project even more important and valued for me and my team," she adds.

The Luxor portal, which was developed under the supervision of Luxor Supreme Council and its Chairman Dr Samir Farag, is the best starting point for those looking to take the trip of a lifetime and relive the history of the greatest civilization on earth. It is accessible through the Internet on www.luxoregypt.org. The LINK Development team layered Luxor’s map in a live match to allow visitors to zoom in and out in and around historical areas. The site features quicker and easier upload of images and videos.

Dr Samir Farag, says: "The City of Luxor is proud to have the first city portal in the whole of the republic. This vital project, whose success is the result of combined efforts, is expected to become the first port of call for any Arab or international visitor planning a trip to this magnificent city and needs historical or other information that will help plan their itinerary. The cooperation between the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT), Microsoft and LINK Development to develop and implement this project has delivered an outstanding portal that will support our efforts to promote the city throughout the world."

The portal allows visitors to search full official directories of the city’s activities; sound and light shows and timings, organizers and packages, leisure information and sight-seeing, local transportation, shopping areas and markets, travel agencies, hospitals, banks and ATM machines, emergency numbers, etc.

Tourists can use the official city directories to plan their trips or avail of the many itinerary recommendations available on the portal. They can also post their adventures in the city or view other people’s experiences or view the various photo galleries. For those who think that Luxor is only about going back in history, the city offers a myriad of activities and choices. Visitors to Luxor can combine history and modernity in this glorious city. Leisure, sightseeing entertainment and cultural information are all presented to visitors on the new portal. Luxor presents the visitor with a host of other Arabian adventures including horse carriages, safaris and Nile cruises and hot air balloon rides, all of which are featured on the portal. The portal is expected to become an important source of information to all those who consider travelling to Luxor. It provides all information and functions that a tourist may need before, during and after visiting Luxor.

"At a time when people are travelling less, they want to make better choices and know more before they travel. Egypt is blessed with a strategic geographical location that makes it easier to reach from many continents. It also boasts rich Pharos’ and Arab heritage. It is thus expected to maintain its attraction for international and regional tourists who do not want to travel long, nor pay expensive plane tickets, but who want at the same time to enjoy the excellent weather all year round," adds Dr Samir Farag.

Karim Ramadan, Microsoft Egypt General Manager, says: "Luxor’s city portal uses state-of-the art technology to offer visitors a host of interactive features and a seamless user-friendly experience. The site reflects the magnificence of the city and the variety of activities available to its visitors. It allows them to wander through its rich content, depict their areas of interest to plan their trip and to access all types of information that a tourist might ever need."

Tourists can use the official city directories to plan their trips or avail of the many itinerary recommendations available on the portal. They can also post their adventures in the city or view other people’s experiences or view the various photo galleries.

Backed by LINK Development’s successful partnership with Microsoft, the company has delivered a number of award-winning, landmark projects in Egypt and other Arab countries, including the new version of Bawaba portal (www.egypt.gov.eg ).

Egypt was awarded Public Sector Innovator of the Year during the 6th African Congress for the Ministries of Civil Service, in which Egypt came first amongst 59 other nominated projects. Egypt received the first prize for the project it implemented in cities and governorates across the country.

"The development of the Luxor portal represents an on-going partnership between LINK Development and the government of Egypt,” explains Abdel Meguid. “Our experience in developing and operating a wide range of enterprise and government portals has enabled us to create a world-class platform for a world-class city." Luxor is known to have been a premier tourist destination at the time of the last Dynasties and attracting visitors during the Greek and Roman periods. With the launch of the new city portal, millions of people all over the world can get to know Luxor and its rich offerings and plan their visits accordingly.

About LINK Development
LINK Development is a leading software development powerhouse in the Middle East and an Orascom Telecom Holding Company.

LINK Development is a well established Egyptian development house with more than ten years of experience in the Middle East. Through our offices in Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Italy, we have gained a well-founded understanding of the market and acquired a repertoire of clients including governments, multinationals and leading local companies operating on local, regional and international levels.

Our clients include Fortune 500 companies in the region such as Microsoft, Intel and Pfizer in addition to having successfully implemented cutting-edge solutions for leading regional and multinational businesses and governments such as the Egyptian e-Government, Saudi Post, Dubai Bank, WIND Italy, EGYPTAIR, PEPSICO, Dubai Land Department and many more.

With 400+ young employees strong, we are one of the largest development houses in the region. Being a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner in six competency areas, the highest level of partner certification from Microsoft, we have best of breed team of .NET developers, designers, architects, project managers and quality engineers.

With the long experience, young and agile Microsoft certified professionals, our software development process has matured over the years, and is continually improving to reflect the company’s experience and maturity and continue to attain higher customer satisfaction levels. LINK Development is currently both, ISO 9001:2000 certified and CMMI level 3 accredited.

We pride ourselves a number of worldwide and regional awards from Microsoft, leading government agencies and non government organizations.

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