Dubai: Sharjah has become more accessible with the launch of the Sharjah Interactive Map, aimed at helping residents and tourists navigate around the emirate. Launched by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), the map features major attractions, historical sites and business centres in Sharjah, Khor Fakkan, Kalba and Dibba Al Hisn. It is available on the web and as an app on smartphones.
The Middle East is seeing a growth in information technology (IT) spending, according to Alexander Barder, regional director of business development for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) at Sabre Hospitality Solutions, a travel technology provider.
“Global spend is up, especially in the Middle East, mainly because of the pipeline — we’re seeing growth in hotels, travel companies and airlines,” he told Gulf News.
The government sector in the MEA is expected to have spent $17.7 billion on IT products and services in 2013, up 2.3 per cent compared to 2012, according to a forecast by Gartner, Inc., an IT research and advisory firm.
With the new map, the SCTDA aims to boost e-governance solutions in all areas and activities of the emirate’s tourism sector.
The authority has a number of other similar initiatives, including a new Sharjah Tourism portal, Interactive Touchscreens, Discover Sharjah, a Sharjah Tourism Mobile app, a Sharjah hotel statistic system and a Sharjah event ticketing system.
The authority plans to include the emirate’s government and private institutions in the map, according to a statement on Sunday. Private institutions and companies could pay a “small fee” to include their specific information in the app, it said.
