Cairo International Book Fair to open on Wednesday amid strict coronavirus measures

Mohammed Saad , Sunday 27 Jun 2021

This year features a digital tickets platform, where visitors can book their tickets for free beforehand, to more evenly distribute the number of visitors allowed each day

Cairo International Book Fair
Cairo International Book Fair

The 52nd edition of the Cairo International Book Fair will run between 30 June and 15 July at Egypt's International Exhibition Center (EIEC), with 1,218 participating publishers.

This year features a digital tickets platform, where visitors can book their tickets for free beforehand, to more evenly distribute the number of visitors allowed each day.

Each individual is only allowed to buy four tickets per registered phone number, for the full duration of the fair. The ticket will have a certain time and date when the visitor can go and visitors will not be allowed inside the fair on dates other than the one printed on the ticket.

The digital platform also offers a list of the all the participating publishers and their locations in the 4 halls. It also offers a list of the activities happening on a daily basis. Visitors can also get a virtual tour of the fair online.

No visitor will be allowed through the gates unless they are wearing a mask and their temperature is measured at the door.

Book signing events will not be allowed this year.

All the events and seminars will broadcast online to maintain social distancing and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The General Egyptian Book Organization (GEBO), the fair's organizer said that the fair will be open daily between 10:00 am and 10:00 pm, and that it will allow 100,000 visitors a day in the spacious exhibition center.

The fair will be held across 4 halls of the EIEC, with a total space of 40,000 square metres, of which only 18,600 meters will be used for booths to create a large space for visitors to roam while enabling them to practice social distancing.

25 countries will participate in the fair this year including, Sudan, South Sudan, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Eritrea, Morocco, Somalia, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, KSA, Lebanon, Yemen, Palestine, Bahrain, Iraq, Syria, Japan, South Korea, Serbia, Russia, Greece, UK, Spain and the United States.

The GEBO is cooperating with the Cairo Transport Authority to provide designated bus lines and stations for fair visitors.

There will be 11 designated bus routes this year in Cairo with a total of 85 buses available for the fair visitors.

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