Etisalat- Eye of the Emirates received 54,245 visitors by end of June 2012

The number of visitors is expected to cross the 150,000 mark by the end of 2012, in the light of ambitious expansion of various facilities underway in Al Qasba, the many forthcoming occasions and festivities in the country, and the multitude of miscellaneous programs planned by Al Qasba for its audience and community. All of which run in parallel with the ultimate aim that every single occasion should meet the needs of all ages, cultures and individual tastes.

Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer at the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), said: "The Etisalat Eye of the Emirates ferris wheel is a prominent tourist landmark in the Emirate and the highest of its kind in the region. It is part and parcel of the beauty and magnificence of Al Qasba in its entirety. Tourists come from all over the world to enjoy the spectacular views of the city's tourist landmarks and the surrounding landscape - including parts of Dubai, Ajman and the Gulf Coast - from the wheel's air-conditioned cabins. Etisalat Eye of the Emirates has been reported among the UAE's top tourist attractions during the last few years."

Al Qaseer added: "The annual increase in number of visitors to Etisalat Eye of the Emirates is clear evidence of its success and competitiveness among other high profile tourist attractions in the country. We, at Al Qasba Development Authority are constantly endeavouring to add more programs and plans that help further enhance the ability of this destination to compete and claim its position as a place of various cultures and lifestyles and a mirror of the development of the tourism sector in the emirate of Sharjah, in particular, and the UAE, in general."

Etisalat Eye of the Emirates received 100,887 visitors by end of December 2011. The 60-metre high ferris wheel that is composed of 42 air-conditioned cabins has a magnetic appeal to visitors and has contributed along with other tourist facilities to attract 1.5 million tourists to Sharjah in 2009 and 1.8 million in 2011, with expectations to near 2 million mark in 2012.