JEDDAH: King Abdulaziz University, through its Faculty of Architecture and Planning, has completed a virtual tourism project using geomatics technologies to deliver interactive tours of key tourist destinations.
The initiative enhances the visibility of cultural and heritage sites, and reflects the growing use of technologies to collect, analyze and interpret spatial data, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Geomatics — an interdisciplinary field combining geography, engineering, geographic information systems and remote sensing — supports informed decision-making across various sectors.
The project uses virtual tourism to help position the Kingdom as a competitive global destination, according to the SPA.
It supports the digital transformation of the tourism sector in line with Vision 2030 by using advanced technologies to create immersive experiences that allow users to explore cultural and heritage landmarks remotely.
It also aligns with the Kingdom’s progress in virtual tourism, supported by the Ministry of Tourism’s digital strategy launched in February 2022.
The strategy includes nine programs and 31 initiatives aimed at improving the tourist experience through virtual and augmented reality technologies.
Rayan Sahahiri, a faculty member in the geomatics department and project supervisor, said the initiative enhances spatial analysis of historic buildings and provides an interactive platform for virtual exploration of architectural features along the Al-Alawi axis in historic Jeddah, known as Al-Balad.
He added that the project promotes cultural awareness and could help attract investment to the tourism sector, the SPA reported.
Sahahiri pointed to historic Jeddah as a fitting example, with its many heritage buildings recognized by UNESCO.
The project offers virtual tours of sites along the Al-Alawi axis, highlighting the details of traditional Islamic architecture.
Abdullah Al-Attas, also a faculty member in the geomatics department, expressed pride in the project, which was developed by Saudi geomatics graduates Abdulrahman Kateb and Mohammed Al-Marouei.
He said that beyond digital documentation, the project aims to build a comprehensive information network to support tourism investment.
It seeks to attract both local and international investors, and contribute to the development of a digital tourism ecosystem aligned with the Kingdom’s digital transformation goals.
