Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi chairs SCTDA Board of Directors meeting

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Authority's strategy for the second half of 2009, and the emirate's new tourism projects with the aim of further stimulating the emirate's ongoing promotional campaigns and activating the new plans.

The meeting was chaired by SCTDA Chairman H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, and attended by SCTDA Director General H.E. Mr Mohammed Ali Al Noman, Board Members H.E. Abdullah Mohammed Al Owais and H.E. Abdul Wahab Al Roumi, and H.E Ali Salem Al Mahmoud.

Al Qassimi welcomed the attendees and extended his heartfelt wishes for the Board's continued success and achievement in its support of developing Sharjah's vital tourism sector. He reiterated the Board's commitment to providing all necessary support and facilities to further boost the emirate's position on the world's business and tourism map.

The agenda of the meeting covered a number of important topics, mostly relating to methods of promoting Sharjah's tourism sector in response to the ongoing regional and global competitiveness in the tourism sector, and to innovative services and facilities that could stimulate the industry and reduce the impact of the global economic downturn on the sector. The SCTDA's activities and participations during the first half of 2009 were also discussed, particularly the outstanding results achieved at some of the world's major exhibitions, and promotional plans and strategies for the second half of the year were discussed in detail, with Board Members being updated on the progress of the emirate's tourism projects.

Al Noman then presented the semi-annual report for the six month period ended 30 June 2009 for the Board's review, along with all reports related to the fiscal year ended 31 December 2008. The 2009 report included detailed explanations for all the activities and projects undertaken by the Authority during the first half of the year, and the attendees praised the SCTDA's efforts to boost Sharjah's commercial and tourism sectors. A presentation was also made on the latest developments in tour guide training and licensing programme, which was launched in May.

Al Qassimi stressed the importance of cooperation and joint efforts to further improve the performance of Sharjah's tourism sector and to develop new strategies to promote the emirate as a leading regional destination for cultural, heritage and family tourism. This will help continue the series of successes achieved by the Authority in the first half of 2009, as a result of the effective plans developed over the last few years.

"The SCTDA has been obviously active in the first six months of 2009, targeting new travel and tourism markets on the local, regional and international levels in order to cater to the requirements of Sharjah's fast growing tourism sector. We intend to continue with our hard work to ensure that we are able to cope with the latest developments, and to promote the emirate as a leading tourist destination for cultural, heritage and family tourism," said Al Qassimi.

The Board stressed the importance of maximizing the SCTDA's involvement in local, regional and international events, and of continuously broadening the market to increase the number of tourists visiting the emirate. The Board also evaluated the SCTDA's efforts at organizing the emirate's delegations to key international exhibitions.

A number of other important issues were also discussed, and among the recommendations made by the Board was that the focus must be on developing new plans and initiatives to promote Sharjah and expand its participation in local, regional and international events. Other recommendations included designing promotional shows and tourist activities that will contribute to developing the emirate's tourist sector.