Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority concludes first participation at ITB Asia

The agreement was reached by SCTDA Director General H.E. Mohamed A. Al Noman, and SHA Executive Director, Ms Margaret Heng, at a meeting between the two organizations, with top hospitality experts from Singapore and the UAE also in attendance. The meeting followed the conclusion of the SCTDA's first participation in the ITB Asia exhibition, which was held at Sontec International Exhibition and Conference Center in Singapore from 21 to 23 October 2009.

Speaking of the agreement, Al Noman said, "This meeting is a bridge that will strengthen relations between the UAE and Singapore, and a major step towards developing mutual tourism activities between our two countries. It presents a chance for us to connect with other cultures and come up with innovative ideas that will help to establish strong partnerships in the future."

"The new hotel classification system that we have implemented in Sharjah has led hospitality facilities to compete against each other to improve their classifications. This has already improved the overall standard of the emirate's tourism products, and since the demand for these products is projected to increase substantially over the next five years now that the market is maturing and heading towards recovery, we need to continue to work on improving them in all possible ways,"

he added.

As of mid-2009 there are 109 hospitality facilities in the emirate of Sharjah: 41 hotels and 68 hotel apartments, including 13 new facilities that have been added to meet growing demand within the emirate. This increase raised the number of available rooms in Sharjah to 4,275 hotel rooms and 4,248 hotel apartment rooms, and the occupancy rate is approximately 85-86%.

In addition to his meeting with the SHA, Al Noman also met with H.E. Lawrence Leong Yue Kheong, Assistant Chief Executive - International Group, Singapore Tourism Board, to discuss Singapore's experience and Sharjah's accomplishments in the tourism sector. Attendees of the meeting exchanged information and suggestions for reaching a mutual understanding concerning training courses and expertise exchange programmes. Al Noman also presented an overview of Sharjah's tourism qualifications and attractions, noting Sharjah's recent selection as the Capital for Islamic Culture for 2014 by the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), building on its reputation after it was named UNESCO's Cultural Capital of the Arab World for 1998.

SCTDA's participation in ITB Asia marks its 10th international participation for 2009, in addition to its 15 local participations, and it has also been involved in 11 local initiatives such as workshops and forums, while its media department has issued seven promotional products ranging from CDs to maps and brochures. The Authority is currently preparing for the annual Sharjah Water festival, which boasts a number of entertainment activities, and which will include one of the world's most high profile sports events - the Sharjah Grand Prix-UIM Formula 1 Power Boat Championship.