Sahara inaugurates new office in Athens

In the presence of Dr Ahmed Mufeed Al Samerai, President of Sahara Group, and Mr. Timothy Ananiadis, Area general manager of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Greece/ Cyprus and Turkey.

Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi extended his congratulations to the Group at the opening of its new office, and expressed his appreciation for their efforts to open up new vistas in Sharjah-Athens relations.

"Today competition in promoting tourist destinations requires direct presence in key markets. Sahara's new office here in the city of Athens will help in introducing the existing tourist attractions and investment opportunities in Sharjah to the Greek tourism and business communities. Together with the new non-stop flight from Sharjah to Athens, this will help to enhance business and tourism cooperation between the two cities," Al Qassimi said.

UAE-based Sahara's new office is located at the Hotel Grande Bretagne, which was built in 1874 and is the oldest and most elegant luxury hotel in Athens. This historic hotel occupies probably the most expensive piece of commercial property in the country, and has been played host to countless kings, queens and heads of state since it first opened its doors nearly a century and a half ago.

Commenting on the occasion, Dr Samerai said, "We are very proud and excited to be opening up this new office in Athens. Sahara decided on Athens as the location for our latest office as part of our strategy to expand into the European market and enhance our position as one of the world's largest media consultancy agencies. What better place for us to begin this expansion than the city that is considered to be the cradle of Western civilization."

"The investor-friendly climate in the GCC markets has attracted some of the world's leading firms, which have chosen to establish their headquarters and regional bases in these countries. Our aim is to provide these firms with professional public relations and media support services, and to assist them in dealing with the differences in culture and practice, enabling them to achieve the maximum result with the minimum hassle," Dr Al Samerai added.

Sahara's new branch will play a major role in supporting and sponsoring different tourist and cultural events that are intended to enhance relations between the city of Athens and the emirate of Sharjah, and the company is also planning to organize Sharjah-Athens day in 2010, in coordination with Athens authorities.