Sharjah Tourism organizes German media visit to highlight the emirate's tourist attractions

This visit forms part of the SCTDA's efforts to promote the tourist attractions in Sharjah. The German delegation included representatives from print publications as well as radio and television stations who have been keen to visit the emirate since the SCTDA's highly successful participation in the International Tourism Bourse (ITB 2008), which was held in Berlin last month, where Sharjah attracted wide interest from the travel and tourism community as well as from the media.

Mr. Yasser Mohammed Zamzam, Senior Commercial Development Executive at the SCTDA, reiterated the importance of this visit in introducing Sharjah's tourist attractions to the German tourism market, and said, "Sharjah is considered one of the most favorable destinations for German tourists, distinguished by its heritage, cultural and family tourist attractions. Our strategy for attracting the German market is implemented through participation in major German tourism fairs and through interaction with key German media, confirming our dedication to creating a strong presence in major tourism markets and to attracting more tourists from all over the world to the emirate. The increasing number of German tourists who have visited Sharjah over the last few years reflects the vital importance of our and promotional programs involvement in German tourist exhibitions."

The visit covered a number of prominent attractions such as Al Qasba, the Sharjah Heritage area, the Sharjah Fort ( Al Hisn ) and Al Mahata Museum, in addition to several traditional Souqs and the Sharjah Equestrian Club. A one-day trip to the Eastern coast (Khorfakkan, Kalba, Dibba) was included in the agenda. The Authority also organized a recreation day camp at Al Qata in the Sharjah desert. The delegation enjoyed a traditional dance show, camel riding, a sewing, stitching & handicraft exhibition and traditional local food, among various other activities.

Commenting on this visit, Mr. Yasser Mohammed Zamzam emphasized the importance of organizing such familiarization tours to introduce the Sharjah's tourist attractions to international media, saying, "We are eager to organize such tours throughout the year. In this particular instance, we organized this visit in collaboration with our representative office in Germany, following our successful participation ITB 2008. Organizing such visits would no doubt contribute significantly to the promotion of the tourism sector in the emirate and will enable us to stay abreast of the latest trends and developments in the international tourism industry, as well as providing opportunities to introduce our unique tourist attractions to the international media," he said.

The members of the German media delegation were thrilled to visit the Culture Capital of Arab World, and expressed their eagerness to introduce these attractions to the German community, saying that the emirate is well positioned to be one of the region's most prominent tourist destinations.