Sharjah's 13 new hotel complexes bring number of hotel rooms to 8,523

Most countries depend on advanced infrastructure, including a network of hotels, resorts and tourism villages, together with the accompanying logistical support, to achieve the goal of promoting their tourist products.

Increasing levels of technological sophistication combined with a rising cost of living, improved international political ties and the increasing number of high net worth individuals have all contributed to the dramatic improvement in the standards of the modern hotel industry.

For the past five years, the emirate of Sharjah has been actively developing its tourism sector. According to economic reports of investment activities for 2009, Sharjah has launched and undertaken a host of reform and infrastructure development projects. The emirate's nominal economic growth was up by 20.6% in 2008 - an increase of Dhs12,312m from the 2007 figures of Dhs10,276m, which was itself a 20.8% increase from 2006. The emirate's economic policy has attracted corporate and individual investors in the tourism and hospitality sector, due to the investor-friendly climate and the rising growth of tourism sector's performance.

Tourism industry experts have said that the Sharjah Executive Council's support of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is one of the most important factors in the stimulation of the tourism sector within the emirate.

Part of this support is in the form of the Sharjah Executive Council's law No.16 of 2007 regarding the classification of Sharjah hotels, resorts and hotel apartments. Article No. 2 of this law authorizes the SCTDA to oversee the implementation of the new classification, while Article No. 3 gives the Authority leave to amend the law to meet the requirements of any future economic or tourist development, provided that the amendment(s) are developed in coordination with the concerned parties. Article No.4 gives the Chairman of the SCTDA the authority to issue the orders and regulations to implement this law.

The hotel classification law came into force at the beginning of 2008, and the SCTDA embarked on an implementation plan. Classification labels were distributed to hotels and hotel apartments, and inspection tours and regular visits to the hotel complexes were arranged to ensure that the requirements for the new classifications were adhered to and that services rendered to tourists were upgraded. In February 2009 a workshop was held in Sharjah's Eastern Region to ensure smooth implementation of the law in Khorfakkan and Kalba.

Now, following 20 months implementation, Sharjah's tourism sector is well positioned to enter new era of performance and competitiveness, which will help the emirate achieve sustainable growth in the industry, and ensure consistent improvement in quality.

Speaking of the classification law, Ms Maysoon Al Hosani, SCTDA's Licensing and Classifications Manager, said:

"The hotel classification process takes into account such criteria as geographical location, technical and entertainment facilities, the condition of building and the level of luxury of services and facilities, as well as the professionalism of hotel staff. The first thing we look at is the location, followed by architectural design, rooms and facilities, swimming pools, public areas, customer service levels, and entertainment and sporting activities available."

"By mid-2009, the SCTDA had evaluated all of Sharjah's 109 hotel premises (41 hotels, 68 hotel apartments) according to the latest international standards. Hotel's were classified as between 1 and 5 stars, depending on their services and facilities, and on the level of luxury services they offered. This included looking at such facilities and services as swimming pools, health clubs, restaurants, shopping malls, conference and business centers and car rental outlets. Hotel apartments were classified as deluxe, standard and basic depending on the facilities they had on offer. Once the new law was implemented, all hotel complexes were given time to upgrade their services to meet the new standards," Ms Al Hosani added.

According to industry observers, the positive impact of the new law was clearly visible on the performance index in the period between beginning of 2007 and mid-2009. The tourism sector, and other supporting sectors, entered a new market cycle in which it contributed significantly to Sharjah's economic growth. Hotel occupancy rates remained steady at 85-86%, while hotel apartment occupancy was down by a mere one percent. Thirteen new hotel facilities were also added, while the number of hotel and hotel apartment rooms reached 4,275 and 4,248, respectively.

The number of tourists visiting the emirate of Sharjah from Europe increased by 32%, from GCC countries by 28%, from Asia by 20%, from other Arab countries by 14%, and from CIS countries, the Americas, Africa and the Pacific by 6%.

Ms Al Hosani said the well-planned strategies and the experienced tourism staff have significantly contributed to supporting the emirate's GDP, "Sharjah's tourism sector has grown by around 11% annually, generating Dhs68.4bn in 2007. The number of tourists visiting the emirate grew from 600,000 in 2001 to 900,000 in 2007, and to 1.5 million in 2008, while the total hotel and hotel apartment occupancy rate reached 86%. The number of hotel facilities in the emirate has risen to 103 (37 hotels and 66 hotel apartments), increasing hotel capacity to 8,000 rooms so as to accommodate the increasing number of tourists."

Sharjah's tourism sector is well positioned to continue to contribute significantly to both the UAE's tourism sector and the emirate's GDP. Industrial statistics reveal that wide interest in tourism sector will also support the UAE's GDP, with an annual contribution of 4.3% in 2009, a percentage that is set to increase by 19.4% over the coming 10 years to 23.7% a year by 2018, with a revenue of Dhs304.1bn. Demand for tourism product will grow by 4.6% annually as from 2009, to reach Dhs498.8bn in 2018, Dhs194.7bn more than the expected revenue this year.