The tenth day of the 52nd session of Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) witnessed 123,000 visitors in and around its exhibition halls, as the event’s organizers strive to adhere to all anti-coronavirus precautionary measures.
The Head of the General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO) Haitham al-Hajj said that the noticeable increase in visitors came after organizers increased the event’s capacity to 70 percent.
He expected that the turnout will increase steadily during the remaining days of the fair, which ends on Thursday.
The 52nd edition of the two-week Cairo International Book Fair is being held under the slogan “Reading is Life” and features 1,218 publishers from 25 countries.
This year, the exhibition is witnessing the launch of the “Your Culture, Your Book” initiative, under which certain book prices range between LE1 and LE20.
Additionally, a digital platform for the exhibition that allows attendees to book tickets, view the fair’s map, and watch live seminars and workshops have been launched this year.
The Director CIBF Islam Bayoumi said that the online platform of Cairo International Book Fair provides unique digital services for the first time due to social restrictions from COVID-19.
Bayoumi said that the exhibition’s online portal will include all publications and all publishing houses, and the exhibition launched virtually on June 30.
“The virtual exhibition will be in 3D technology, meaning that the visitor can roam the exhibition halls and roam between its corridors as if on the ground. The visitor can also click on any book on the shelves, and it will show information about the book, its price, and everything related to it,” he said.
“This is the first virtual exhibition in Egypt in 3D. There are normal virtual exhibitions, but not with this 3D feature.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
