Sharjah stand attracts significant attention at World Travel Market exhibition

H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, SCTDA Chairman and head of the Sharjah delegation, met with top government officials, businessmen, ambassadors and tourism experts, as the Sharjah delegation discussed ways and means of developing the emirate's tourism relationship with the European market, and the British market in particular. Sharjah is a major destination for Europeans, who consider it a capital of culture and history.

In addition to Al Qassimi, the Sharjah delegation comprised H.E. Saeed Obaid Al Jarwan, SCTDA Deputy Chairman, H.E. Abdulwahab Al Roomi, Director General of the Department of Civil Aviation, H.E. Ali Salim Al Mahmoud, General Manager of the Sharjah Economic Development Department, H.E. Marwan Jasim Al Sirkal, CEO of Al Qasba Development Authority, H.E. Mohamed Ali Al Noman, Director General of SCTDA, and H.E. Ali Salem Al Midfa', Director of Sharjah International Airport. A number of other officials, VIPs and representatives of Sharjah organizations make up the remainder of the delegation, including members of the SCTDA, Al Qasba Development Authority, Sharjah international Airport Authority, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency, Sharjah Museums Department, Radisson Blu Hotel and Resort, Coral Beach Resort and Orient Tours.

Sharjah's stand at the exhibition attracted the attention of exhibition visitors, particularly British visitors, who constituted the majority of the European tourists who visited Sharjah this year, due to the huge success the emirate experienced at last year's WTM.

Speaking of Sharjah's participation in the event, Al Qassimi said, "Sharjah is always keen to participate in world-class tourism conferences, especially the large international events. This is more necessary than ever due to the effects of the financial crisis, and we are here to showcase Sharjah's tourism features and attractions to the world. The tourism sector is an important economic sector, and one with high employment rates. Therefore, confidence in this sector will not shift, as it has the potential to continue growing over the long term and greatly contributing to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)".

"At a global level, the tourism sector is one of the largest economic sectors, and it is the main source of income for many countries. According to the World Tourism Organisation, the sector achieved returns of $944bn from 922 million tourists in 2008. Studies by the International Travel and Tourism Council show that the tourism industry is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world, and it is expected to grow by four percent over the next ten years, adding over 275,000 jobs each year," concluded Al Qassimi.

As one of the world's top five tourism exhibitions, the World Travel Market is a place for tourism and travel experts to meet in order to discuss and develop tourism movement between their countries. Last year, 49,000 visitors from 202 countries attended the exhibition, and this number looks set to increase by around ten percent at this year's event.