SCTDA holds workshop for its overseas PR offices on sidelines of its participation in WTM

During the workshop, there was a review of the most prominent tourism attraction factors that distinguish Sharjah from other areas in the region and the world and give it an important position on the international tourism map.

Mohammed A. Al Noman, Director General of the SCTDA, praised the effective role of the emirate's representative offices in Germany, Sweden and Russia in the promotion of Sharjah's tourism and commercial components, which enriched the emirate's tourism sector.

Al Noman added:

"We realize the importance of agreements signed between the SCTDA and the world's top public relations companies to represent the authority in international markets. That will consolidate the performance of the emirate's tourism sector and promote its tourism products so as to increase the number of tourists visiting the emirate from around the world."

He underlined the necessity to activate joint work between the emirate's overseas offices and top tourism and travel companies in different parts of the world, and emphasized that investors should be acquainted with the characteristics of investment in Sharjah, which offers an attractive environment for international investments. Marketing and media plans also should be drawn up to shed the light on the components of tourism attraction in the emirate and region.

"This year we developed new strategies to open new markets, increase the rate of tourism and investment in the emirate, and inaugurate representative offices around the world. We also signed a number of agreements this year through which we plan to raise awareness of Sharjah's tourism product," Al Noman said.

At the workshop, Al Noman reviewed the components of Sharjah's new identity, the most prominent tourism factors in the emirate, and strategies drawn up by the SCTDA to bolster the emirate's position on the international tourism map. He also pointed out the growth seen in the tourism sector last year, when 1.45 million tourists flowed into the emirate.

He said that the European market is important, as there a large number of European visitors come into the emirate, which is today one of the most important tourism and heritage destinations for European tourists, not only in the region, but in the world.

"Undoubtedly, Sharjah's participation in this international tourism event has special importance. Through our participation in this event, we are aiming to consolidate relations between the UAE, in general, and Sharjah, in particular, and European countries. We are very interested in the European market, as the annual rate of the influx of European visitors into the UAE is on the rise. This is a clear sign of the development of the UAE's tourism sector, which successfully attracted tourists from around the world," said Al Noman.

Al Noman confirmed the emirate's representation in the WTM through a high-level delegation led by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the SCTDA, and directors of government departments and authorities underlines the emirate's keenness to have prominent presence in this international tourism event.