Statement from Minister Ersoy on Digital Transformation in Museums and Ruins

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy received the Türk Telekom delegation at the Ministry within the scope of studies on creating a new generation visitor experience in museums and historical sites.

Deputy Ministers of Culture and Tourism Nadir Alpaslan, Gökhan Yazgı and Serdar Çam, Türk Telekom General Manager and Deputy Chairman of the Board Ebubekir Şahin, Chief Advisor to the Minister of Culture and Tourism Tayfun Topal, DÖSİM President Fatih Mehmet Özveren, Information Technologies General Manager Ferit Meftun Harmankaya and Türk Telekom Corporate Sales Deputy General Manager Feyzullah Tecirli attended the meeting.

During the meeting, the current status and implementation schedule of the works carried out within the scope of the cooperation protocol signed between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Türk Telekom were discussed. While Minister Ersoy received information from the delegation about the current stage of the work, views were exchanged on the next steps of the process.

With the project covering 216 museums and ruins across Türkiye, an integrated digital structure will be established, ranging from box office operations to visitor services, from data security to museum stores.

Within the scope of the new system, which will be implemented with local and national infrastructure, smart ticketing, multi-channel digital payment, artificial intelligence-supported data analytics, digital visitor management, audio guide, digital archiving, augmented reality and virtual reality applications will be put into operation.

It is aimed to provide faster, safer and more qualified service to visitors with fiber infrastructure, widespread wireless internet systems and 5G integration. Strategic data regarding cultural heritage will be protected in local and national infrastructures within the borders of the country.

The digital transformation process will not only be limited to entry and ticketing systems. Museum shops, cafeterias, sales areas and other visitor services will also be included within the scope of the new structure.

Museum stores will feature products that reflect Turkey's cultural values, from traditional Turkish handicrafts to Turkish coffee and Turkish delight, from Turkish carpets to traditional decorative arts. It is aimed to expand the international sales of products to be procured from Intangible Cultural Heritage Bearer artists and traditional handicraft masters certified by the Ministry.

With the new system, no changes will be made to existing Museum cards that are still valid. For cards that have expired, T.R. ID cards can be used as Museum cards.

After paying the Museum Card fee via e-Government or mobile application, citizens will be able to enter museums and historical sites by scanning their ID cards without waiting in line at the box office.

Minister Ersoy, who made a statement about the meeting on his social media account, said:

“We evaluated the current stage of the digital transformation efforts that we will implement in our museums and historical sites with the Türk Telekom delegation at our Ministry.

We exchanged views on the implementation schedule and next steps of the project, which covers 216 museums and historical sites across Türkiye.

With the new system that we will implement with local and national infrastructure, we will achieve a comprehensive transformation in many areas, from smart ticketing to digital visitor management, from data security to new generation museum practices.

“With the work we will complete by the end of 2026, we will combine our cultural heritage with the possibilities of technology and offer our visitors a faster, safer and more qualified experience.”