Sharjah concludes participation in World Travel Market 2009

The 205 square meter stand's distinctive design combined modernism with heritage to reflect the emirate's diverse tourism identity. A variety of promotional publications, such as 'Discover Sharjah', 'Sharjah's Destination', 'Invest in Sharjah', etc., were available at the stand in English. The British media in particular focused their attention on the activities that took place at the Sharjah stand, shedding light on the emirate's tourism attractions.

The Sharjah delegation, headed by H.E. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), and H.E. Saeed Obaid Al Jarwan, SCTDA Deputy Chairman, comprised 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 Serkal, CEO of Al Qasba Development Authority, H.E. Mohamed A. 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.

The delegation met with other WTM participants and visitors to discuss ways of strengthening tourism movement within the global tourism market, particularly as Sharjah has become a tourism destination of choice for European tourists, and British tourists in particular, who see the emirate as a symbol of heritage and culture. Representatives from local, regional and international travel and tourism companies also visited Sharjah's stand to discuss collaboration with the emirate, and ways of promoting Sharjah's tourism product to attract more tourists.

Speaking of Sharjah's participation in the event, Al Qassimi stressed its importance as one of the largest international tourism events, saying:

"Our participation at WTM 2009 has been a great success, as Sharjah is a well-known participant and a favourite tourism destination. The rapid growth of the emirate's economic sectors, coupled with the ever-increasing number of tourists, points to tourism investment becoming a pivotal source of income over the next few years. Therefore, we intend to continue participating in local, regional and international tourism events to promote Sharjah as a world-class tourism destination."

"Once again, the World Travel Market exhibition provided us with a great opportunity to promote and market a number of Sharjah's tourism packages, and to set Sharjah up as a distinctive tourism destination on the international tourism map. The success we have experienced here motivates us to work even harder to achieve our goals and Sharjah's vision of attaining real growth for the emirate's tourism sector, which is one of the most important contributing sectors to the emirate's Gross Domestic Product," he added.

Evaluating Sharjah's performance at the World Travel Market exhibition, SCTDA Director General H.E. Mohamed A. Al Noman said, "The SCTDA's goal is to attract local, regional and international travel and tourism markets through well-thought out strategies based on spreading awareness to tourists and tourism experts of Sharjah's uniquely diverse tourism offering, and we have been successful in conveying that at this exhibition."

"Participating in world-class events such as WTM and meeting with top travel and tourism companies play a large role in establishing international collaboration, and in helping introduce Sharjah's unique tourism characteristics and thus attract more tourists," he continued.

During its participation in WTM, the SCTDA announced that the number of visitors to Sharjah has doubled over the last five years, and that the emirate's tourism sector grew by four percent in Q3 2009 compared to Q1 of the same year. This increase in growth will help the emirate achieve great returns that will contribute to a further increase in growth rates and make up for the losses resulting from the global depression. Sharjah's tourism sector is expected to bounce back after a period of decline arising due to the global financial crisis in mid-2008, and continue to grow rapidly.

Under the wise leadership of H.H. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the emirate of Sharjah takes a special interest in the tourism sector, as it works to strengthen the interactive relationship between infrastructure development and the diverse factors that attract visitors, which will result in greater returns for the national economy.

As one of the top five tourism exhibitions in the world, the World Travel Market is a meeting place for tourism and travel experts who meet to develop tourism movements between their respective countries. Last year, 49,000 visitors representing 202 countries attended the exhibition, and this year's figures look set to increase by around ten percent.