Applications set to boost Ankara museums

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

The interactive applications include a number of presentations on museums including the Ethnographic Museum.

Museums in the Turkish capital, Ankara, have launched an initiative to make their facilities more interactive in an effort to draw more tourists to the city.

“I believe Ankara will become a main destination in terms of tourism,” said Ankara Development Agency Secretary-General Asım Balcı.

The interactive applications include a number of presentations of the museums including the Ethnographic Museum, the State Painting and Sculpture Museum, the Gordion Museum and the Republican Museum. The online applications are expected to draw the interest of youth, said Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay, who visited the museums and analyzed the interactive applications online. “These applications will help children and the youth maintain a relation with the objects and the artifacts at the museums.”

The digital applications also allow people to learn more about the museums and architecture.

Speaking after Günay at a press conference to introduce the new initiative, Balcı said they were focusing on tourism projects for the coming years. This year the agency will be supporting tourism projects with 8.8 million Turkish Liras earmarked for a total of 41 tourism projects.

Together with current funds, there is now 12.9 million liras available for projects, he said, adding that they would be focusing on high-quality tourism endeavors.

In addition to the Ankara Development Agency, the interactive application project has received support from TÜRSAB.