Sharjah's stand in World Travel Market 2008 attracts international media

The British media was keen to cover the Sharjah stand's activities and shed some light on the tourist attractions in the emirate, particularly the cultural and heritage aspects that distinguish Sharjah from other areas in the region and are considered the most prominent attraction factors for British and European tourists.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), said to the British media that the number of tourists flowing into Sharjah is projected to reach 3.5 million by 2012 due to the rapid growth experienced by the tourism sector over the last five years.

Al Qassimi said:

"While tourism is today one of Sharjah's greatest revenue sources, the emirate intends to launch further tourist ventures and construct tourist cities and villages to attract both tourists and investors to the emirate. The promotional campaigns organized by the SCTDA have also played an important role in bringing visitors and tourists into the emirate."

"The tourism sector makes up a significant part of Sharjah's gross domestic product, as well as that of the UAE. In 2007, the sector saw a remarkable rise in the volume of tourists entering the emirate, with the total number reaching 1.5 million. Meanwhile, the number of passengers via Sharjah Airport surged up to 4.5 million, an increase of 47% compared to 2006, when the number of passengers was 3.06 million," he added.

Al Qassimi said that the tourism sector in Sharjah is considered today one of the emirate's most effective economic sectors, and that it holds much interest for many international organizations and institutions. Figures show that Sharjah has become a tourist hub for visitors from around the world, due to the many tourist attractions available in the emirate, which is full of historic places and enjoys a moderate climate and wonderful natural environment.

Commenting on the impressive attendance at the emirate's stand for the second consecutive day at one of the world's most prominent shows in the tourism and travel sector, Mohamed Ali Al Noman, SCTDA's Director General, said that the large number of people visiting the emirate's stand confirm the importance of Sharjah's tourist product, which has increased the number of tourists influx into the emirate by 100% over the last five years.

"Sharjah is keen to underline the interactive relationship between the development of infrastructure and diversification of tourist and commercial attraction factors. This will bring profit and other advantages to the national economy," Al Noman said.

"Through continuous follow-up by SCTDA's chairman, we have worked hard to take advantage of all facilities and employ all potentials to realize the sought-after aims of tourist promotion in Sharjah. We believe that our participation in such international events as this, WTM 2008, will lead to economic development for the emirate, through which it will emerge as a prime example of what can be achieved by mixing modernism and traditionalism," Al Noman added.

He concluded his statement by saying, "Our success today pushes us to ever greater efforts in order to realize the goal for which the SCTDA was created, and will be the best materialization of the emirate's policy, which aims to make use of all available potentials to achieve real development for the tourist sector."

Sharjah delegation to WTM 2008 is led by Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the SCTDA and includes members from various Sharjah authorities, including the SCTDA, the Al Qasba Development Authority, the Sharjah International Airport Authority, the Sharjah Museums Department, the Radisson SAS Resort, the Coral Beach Resort, the Marbella resort, the Oceanic Hotel KF, the Millennium Hotel and the Orient Tours.