Shurooq readies to promote Sharjah at ITB Berlin 2013

Shurooq will be focussing on attracting international investment in Sharjah's tourism and travel sectors, in addition to promoting the investment opportunities in the Emirate's healthcare and environment sectors. They will also be showcasing the Authority's various investment related projects including the Heart of Sharjah, the Kalba Eco Tourism project, City Sightseeing Sharjah, The Khorfakkan resort, among many others.

The delegation from Shurooq, which will include Shurooq CEO HE Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Shurooq COO, Director of Business Development at Shurooq, Elie Armaly, Head of Investment Promotion at Shurooq, Mohamed Juma Al Musharrkh, Tourism Executive at Shurooq Hatem Heidar and Sultan Mohammed Shattaf, Manager of Al Qasba and will also be conducting several meetings with members of participating delegations and representatives of travel agencies, hoteliers, and investors to explore wider horizons of cooperation and familiarise them with numerous developments taking place in the Emirate's burgeoning tourism industry.

Speaking about the Authority's participation in ITB Berlin, Shurooq CEO Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal said, "Shurooq is constantly working to attract new investors to Sharjah through diversifying its already extensive range of tourism projects. ITB Berlin, as one of the world's most important travel trade platforms, offers an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our many projects as well as to engage the global travel and tourism industry's most significant stakeholders. We are looking forward to opening up new avenues of international collaboration in line with the Authority's strategy to promote Sharjah as a leading investment and tourism destination in the region and world through its presence at major international events and platforms dedicated to investment and tourism."

Al Sarkal affirmed that Sharjah is approaching a new era of burgeoning growth in tourism and in other various sectors as a result of its new tourist facilities being developed by Shurooq, in addition to the various world class activities and festivals and the new tourism services being organized and initiated by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, in addition to the tourism conferences and exhibition being held at the Expo Centre Sharjah and the Sharjah Media Centre.

Al Sarkal added: "Special focus will be given to the Heart of Sharjah project in light of the German market's interest in cultural tourism. A five-phase historical and tourism centred restoration and development project, the Heart of Sharjah will restore and revamp the city's centre to create a tourist and trade destination with contemporary artistic touches, that still retains the feel of 1950s Sharjah. The Heart of Sharjah will feature diverse commercial, cultural and residential projects, including traditional markets, restaurants, cafes, museums, art galleries and hotels, and the area is set to become home to a range of heritage and cultural events. ITB Berlin 2013 is the first time that the complete project model for the Heart of Sharjah will be displayed."

Shurooq will also highlight the Kalba Eco-Tourism project as the largest and most comprehensive, and environmentally friendly tourism project of its type in the region to date, and will be promoting Sharjah's two major tourism and leisure destinations, Al Majaz Waterfront and Al Qasba, along with the newly commenced operations of City Sightseeing Sharjah, which marked a major leap forward in the Emirate's tourism offering during the trade show.

As the world's leading travel trade show, ITB Berlin brings together representatives from across the spectrum of the travel and tourism sector, including destinations, tour operators, booking systems, carriers, hotels, and all other suppliers, as well as government bodies from around the globe, to discuss and collaborate on overcoming any obstacle that the industry might face.

Shurooq was established in 2009 with the aim of achieving social, cultural, environmental and economic development on the basis of Sharjah's distinct Arab and Islamic identity, and to encourage investment by adopting the best international standards in providing quality services that help attract investors from the region and the world.

Shurooq's key mission is to provide facilities and incentives to help overcome obstacles facing investment activities in the emirate, evaluate tourism-related infrastructure projects, and lay down the necessary plans to complete such projects.