The Emirate of Sharjah achieve record amount of visitors at the East Mediterranean International Travel & Tourism Exhibition (EMITT 2006)

Held in Istanbul from the 23-26 February, the annual exhibition featured a wide array of countries all represented by individuals who specialized in the tourism industry. Organizers applauded the Sharjah stand which attracted thousands of visitors and greatly contributed to the overall success of the exhibition on its 10th anniversary.

The Turkish Minister for Culture & Tourism - Mr. Atilla Koc visited the Emirate of Sharjah's stand in the first days of the exhibition, where he expressed his happiness at their participation. Also in attendance was Mr. Essa Abdulla Massoud, UAE Consul General in Turkey and Mr. Mohamed Al Noman, Director of the Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA).

Speaking on their involvement in the exhibition, Mr. Mohamed Al Noman, Director of SCTDA, said: "Our participation in the exhibition for the third time ensures our objective of being present at every important international tourism exhibition. Our end goal is to attract more tourists from different countries to our emirate. This includes Turkish tourists as previous years have already illustrated their loyalty and commitment in choosing Sharjah as their destination for business and pleasure."

He added: "We felt the visitor's appreciated all what the Emirate of Sharjah has to offer. The feedback we have been receiving from our various hotel representatives and travel and tourism agencies have been very positive. Be sure that in the coming months and years, our emirate will be receiving more tourists."

This year the delegation to EMITT 2006 was headed by Mr. Mohamed Al Noman, in addition to other senior representatives from SCTDA, the Sharjah International Airport Authority, the Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA), Coral Beach Resort, and Rotana Sharjah Hotel. All members came to a consensus that the SCTDA should continue to promote Sharjah as an international tourist destination as the realization of their Emirate becoming a major Middle Eastern choice .

SCTDA's participation this year was unique, with the Emirate showcasing an extraordinary and eye-catching design which displayed graphics of the city on a large space of 60 sqmt. They had promotional materials, featuring the main attractions of Sharjah, in addition to providing accurate news and information about the Emirate in both English and Turkish languages.

The East Mediterranean International Travel & Tourism Exhibition on its 10th anniversary has attracted more than 1500 exhibitors from 50 countries, where the number of visitors reached more than 115,000 visitors. This is an increase from 100,000 visitors and 1200 exhibitors from 40 countries from the previous year.

'These figures alone should be a sufficient enough reason for the Emirate of Sharjah to be involved in the Turkish trade and tourism market.' Commented Mr. Mohamed Al Noman

Sharjah's participation in the East Mediterranean International Travel & Tourism Exhibition is a result of the success it has garnered since 1997. It is now considered an important exhibition, widely renowned in the tourism industry across the region as the best place for those working in the tourism sector to gather in order to promote their countries.