Shurooq making its mark at ITB Asia 2012

Shurooq is promoting Sharjah as a leading tourism and investment destination in the region and the world.

Exhibiting in cooperation with the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), Shurooq is taking the opportunity to stimulate increased international interest in its already well-known and reputed projects, such as The Chedi Khorfakkan, which at a planned cost of Dhs420m is set to become one of the premier leisure destinations in the country and region, as well as the ambitious three-phase Kalba Eco-tourism project that is aiming to redevelop Kalba's nature reserve and establish an environmentally friendly and sustainable commercial and tourism destination.

Elie Armaly, Shurooq's Business Development Director, commented, "Asia and the Pacific's tourism market is one of the fastest growing in the international arena, with 217 million international tourist arrivals in 2011. The World Tourism Organization forecast for the long-term development of tourism predicts that arrivals to Asia and the Pacific will be more than the double by 2030 to reach 535 million and its outbound tourist traffic growth is also expected to show the highest global increase. As such ITB Asia forms an ideal platform on which to tap into this burgeoning market and we are looking forward to promoting Sharjah's excellent offerings and vast potential, conducting many more productive meetings, and signing a number of highly beneficial MoU's during the course of the exhibition."

Armaly went on to add, "With the noticeable increase in investment in Asia and the Pacific in mind, Shurooq is aiming to attract hospitality and tourism companies and authorities such as hotel management companies, luxury resorts, entertainment centres. In addition we have made use of the opportunity to conduct a meeting with General Hotel Management, Ltd. (GHM), our partner in Asia and manager of the Chedi Khorfakkan to discuss updates on the project as well as future plans for broadening Sharjah's tourism offering."

H.E S. Iswaran, Singaporean Minister of Trade and Industry, visited Shurooq's stand at the exhibition. The Minister listened to a presentation by Elie Armaly which detailed Shurooq's vision and strategy for developing the emirate of Sharjah and highlighted the strategic importance of the Emirate, as well as giving an overview of Shurooq's latest tourism projects.

Shurooq reports that at the conclusion of the first day they had received excellent levels interest in their exhibit, as well as a great deal of positive feedback on the quality and diversity of their projects and the multitude of services they offer.

In addition to disseminating a publication that details the Authority's various current and future projects, initiatives, and services, as well as giving an overview of Sharjah's tourism and investment potential and opportunities, Shurooq has also conducted a number of meetings with other participating delegations to explore future avenues of cooperation, with several more meetings still scheduled to be held.

Organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition & Convention Bureau, ITB Asia is an annually held three-day B2B trade show and convention. It is the premier business to business tourism platform in the region giving international exhibitors of all sectors of the travel-value chain, Asia Pacific's leading travel companies, as well as emerging small and medium-sized enterprises the opportunity to meet with top international buyers from the MICE, Leisure and Corporate Travel markets.

ITB Asia 2011 saw 7,511 delegates and 750 exhibiting organizations pass through its doors with representation from 91 countries featuring 600 top-quality hosted buyers and ITB Asia 2012 is expected to far surpass its predecessor.

Of special interest this year is the Responsible Tourism Forum & Networking Event, which will be held on Friday the 19th of October. Open to all participants of ITB Asia 2012 the event will shed light on developments in the responsible tourism sector and give participants the opportunity to network and exchange ideas and information with the leading experts and innovators in this field.