SCTDA wins 'Most Active Participant' Award at Leisure Moscow 2009

Leisure Moscow is held from 22 to 25 September 2009 at the 19,000 square foot International Exhibition Centre in Moscow, Russia.

SCTDA representatives received the award at a ceremony attended by the Director General of the Russian Tourism Authority, a number of high profile tourism industry representatives, the Managing Director of the Exhibition, and Russian and international media.

The recipient of the 'Most Active Participant' Award was decided by the show's organizing committee, based on a number of studies and assessments it conducted in coordination with the Russian Tourism Authority. Sharjah's elegant 105-square meter stand - which featured a balanced mix of traditional and modern designs, and showcased the emirate's attractions, while the SCTDA provided useful tourism information through the distribution of Russian-language booklets to visitors - stood out among those of the other participants and attracted the interest of thousands of visitors and international media.

Commenting on the occasion, H.E. Mr Mohamed Ali Al Noman, Director General of the SCTDA, said:

"This award recognises the SCTDA's outstanding efforts to promote the emirate of Sharjah in a variety of local, regional and international domains. It is a mark of success for the emirate's new identity, which has performed superbly at the international level, as well as the local and regional levels."

"This award marks a new milestone in our series of achievements and will serve as added motivation for us to continue our tireless efforts to maintain and boost Sharjah's prominent spot on the world's tourism map. We remain committed to maintaining this momentum, under the guidance of H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah," he continued.

Al Noman confirmed the importance of participating in this exhibition, saying: "We consider this exhibition an important place to attract Russian tourists to Sharjah, as over 103,000 Russian tourists visited Sharjah in the first half of 2009, and Russian travel and tourism agencies are promoting the emirate as a premier heritage and culture destination. During its participation in Leisure Moscow, the SCTDA made sure to meet with the biggest travel and tourism companies working in the Russian market, and we discussed ways to further promote Sharjah's tourism product and increase the number of visitors to the emirate".

"By winning this award, we have achieved the success we were looking for. This award will be added to the other awards we have won this year, including the 'Best Middle Eastern Exhibitor' Award that we won at the International Tourism Bourse (ITB 2009) - the world's largest tourism and travel trade show - which took place in the first quarter, and the 'Most Outstanding Booth' Award that we received at the prestigious Beijing International Tourism Expo 2009 (BITE) in the second quarter," he concluded.

The Sharjah delegation - whose participation was organised by the SCTDA - comprised a number of senior representatives from the emirate, including officials from the SCTDA, the Sharjah International Airport Authority, Air Arabia, Sharjah National Hotels (Marbella Resort, Holiday International, Oceanic Hotel Khorfakkan), Radisson Blue Resort, Sharjah Millennium Hotel, Coral Beach resort, Khalidiah Tourism, Embassy Suites, Golden Tulip Hotel, Al Loloa Beach, and Rubi Hotel Apartments.

The SCTDA's 9th consecutive participation in this important exhibition formed part of the Authority's ongoing efforts to raise Sharjah's profile in the Russian market, and it is confident that this participation will contribute to enhancing Sharjah's reputation as a unique destination for family and heritage tourism.