Sharjah: Under the aegis of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), a delegation of the biggest tourism authorities representing Sharjah will go on a roadshow to several Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to promote tourism in Sharjah and attract GCC tourists. Places visited by the roadshow, which starts on Wednesday and ends on April 20, will include Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
The SCTDA roadshow seeks to tap the tourism potential in the region and promote Sharjah as a tourist destination.
In addition to the SCTDA, the delegation will include several institutions concerned with promoting tourism in Sharjah, such as the Sharjah Millennium Hotel, the Golden Tulip Hotel, Embassy Hotel Suites, Marbella Resort, the Sharjah Premiere Hotel, Lulu'a Beach and Resort, Ruby Living Courts Hotel Apartments and Ilaf Tours.
Mohammad A. Al No'man, director-general of the SCTDA, believes that the roadshow will help promote Sharjah as a leading destination on the regional tourism scene through its numerous marketing and promotional campaigns.
According to Al No'man, tourist flow into the emirate rose to 1.4 million in 2009 compared to 600,000 in 2001, while overall room occupancy was 69 per cent. Total hotel facilities amounted to 110 units — including 41 hotels and 69 hotel apartments — last year, with overall hotel units increasing to 8,727. "These numbers reflect the huge growth of tourism in the emirate of Sharjah," Al No'man said.
"Furthermore, GCC tourists constituted 24 per cent — 330,000 tourists — of the total tourists who visited Sharjah last year, which is encouraging," he said.
The SCTDA GCC road-show comes ahead of the Sharjah Summer Promotions 2010, which will take place from June 16 to July 25, and will include exciting shows, activities and discounts aimed at promoting summer shopping in Sharjah.
