Sharjah achieves "Best Performance" award in EMITT 2009

Emirate of Sharjah stand received an overwhelming response from key international tourism industry players, attracting a substantial number of Turkish tourists, and capturing the interest of tourism representatives from different countries. The Turkish Tourism Director, Ertugrul Gunay, paid a visit to the stand on the first day of the exhibition, and expressed his interest and pleasure in the presence of the Emirate of Sharjah for the sixth time at EMITT.

Speaking of the award, H.E. Mohamad A. Al Noman, Director General of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), stated that receiving the award was an honour that recognised the uniqueness of Sharjah's product in the region, as well as the content of the promotional campaigns run by the SCTDA. The award also recognises the great effort that the Authority is putting into promoting the Emirate and making sure that it is well represented at international exhibitions, where the Emirate of Sharjah's stand has won numerous awards in previous years.

"There is no doubt that this award will be added to the list of international achievements that the SCTDA has compiled since its establishment, and will encourage us to work even harder to secure more awards and achievements, which will contribute to enhancing the position of the Emirate of Sharjah on the international tourism map. This is what we always try to secure under the vision of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah".

Sharjah's delegation to EMITT 2009 included senior representatives from the SCTDA, the Sharjah International Airport Authority, Air Arabia and the Radisson SAS Resort.

Sharjah's participation in the activities of the 13th EMITT exhibition, which is being held with the support of the Turkish tourism authority and Istanbul Municipality (in addition to more than 36 tourism authorities and organizations in Turkey), follows the resounding success of its involvement in EMITT 2008. As it did again this year, the emirate's 2008 stand received an overwhelming response from key international tourism industry players, created international exposure for the emirate as key holiday destination, and, consequently, attracted a substantial number of Turkish tourists. The Authority has earned several prestigious international awards for its participation in previous editions of EMITT.

Sharjah's decision to participate in EMITT for the 6th consecutive year is the result of the consistent success that the exhibition has experienced since 1997, and the great role it plays in uniting the viewpoints of people working in the global tourism sector. While last year's event attracted over 150,000 visitors and 1,200 exhibitors from 40 countries, this year is set to be even bigger, with 2,000 exhibitors representing 55 different countries covering 10 exhibition halls. More than 200,000 visitors are expected, and with such great numbers the Emirate of Sharjah is set to gain substantially from Turkey's trade and tourism market.

SCTDA's 2009 strategy includes promotional campaigns in over 15 major international exhibitions, as well as a number of trade fairs and promotional tours, with the aim of further enhancing the growth witnessed in the emirate's tourism sectors over the last years.

Through its participation in the EMITT exhibition, the SCTDA managed to increase the emirate's share in Turkey's growing travel and tourism market. The Authority held a series of meetings with a number of Turkey's business and tourism leaders to study the Turkish tourism model, as the new tourism policy adopted recently in Turkey encompasses a vision for 2010 in which 30 million tourists and a $30bn income are expected.

Statistics show that most Turkish tourists prefer heritage tourism and shopping destinations, and the SCTDA has thus identified EMITT 2009 as an essential promotional platform for the emirate of Sharjah as a unique destination for families to learn about heritage, history and culture. These three aspects will enhance the position of the Emirate of Sharjah on the world map, and support the SCTDA's aim to attract more Turkish tourists to the Emirates.