Sharjah gets 15 hotels in first quarter

Dubai: Fifteen new hotels opened in Sharjah in the first quarter of this year, taking the number of hotels and hotel apartments to 89 in the emirate.

According to the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), the emirate has about 7,000 hotels rooms. It said more hotels will open this year to accommodate the increased flow of tourists.

In 2006 there were 24 hotels and 50 hotel apartments in the emirate, SCTDA said.

"Sharjah's commercial sector is rapidly developing and has so far this year witnessed the opening of a number of shopping malls and hotels. More malls and hotels will be opened later this year," SCTDA director-general Mohammad Ali Al No'man said.

He expects occupancy rates at hotels to average 90 per cent this year amid healthy visitor arrivals.

"The number of passengers at Sharjah International Airport rose by 36.9 per cent to 3.064 million in 2006. Air Arabia played an influential role in this increase as it has about 34 destinations around the world," he said.

The tourism agency, in cooperation with Air Arabia, is holding a promotion to attract more Gulf tourists, who constitute a significant part of foreign visitors. Last year the number of Gulf tourists was 250,000 out of a total of 1.3 million foreign visitors.