The visit took place within the activities of the Digital Tourism Marketing course, supervised by Dr. Lama Al-Shanti, in which students are working on innovative applied projects to promote Nablus’ Old City. These projects include producing digital content based on artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality technologies (VR/AR), as well as utilizing digital gaming platforms as a modern tool for tourism promotion.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Firas Al-Nasr, Director of the Business Department, along with several faculty members, including Ms. Wisal Arida from the Faculty of Fine Arts, who delivered an intervention on the role of digital and electronic games in enhancing the tourism experience. The meeting also included Mr. Ayoub Abu Lawha, a group of students, and female graduates from the Faculty of Engineering, who presented a demonstration on the applications of virtual and augmented reality in cultural tourism.

The meeting witnessed rich discussions and notable interaction from the College’s students, who presented new ideas related to smart marketing of Palestinian heritage and sustainable tourism. Dr. Dirgham Al-Fares praised the College’s vision of integrating technology into education, aligning it with labor market requirements, and promoting innovation in the tourism sector.

The meeting concluded with an agreement to organize a field visit to Nablus’ Old City with student participation to complete the implementation of the projects on the ground, in addition to forming a joint evaluation committee between the Directorate and the University to select the best outputs and further develop them within a future digital cooperation initiative.

This qualitative cooperation reflects the mission of the College of Business and Communication in preparing qualified cadres equipped with the skills necessary to transform knowledge into effective practical application, and to harness digital transformation tools in support of tourism and economic development in the country.