Dubai: Sharjah saw 600,000 hotel guests check in during the first quarter of the year, up 15 per cent over the same period in 2013, which saw 515, 947 guests, according to a statement by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA).
Europe topped the emirate’s source markets, with more than 251,000 visitors. Also, visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries came in large numbers, SCTDA said in the statement. It, however, did not provide the number of visitors from the GCC.
Visitors from Asia, meanwhile, reached 71,000.
Hotel revenues for the first quarter were not disclosed.
“These positive results reflect the impressive growth witnessed by the tourism sector in the emirate. It reflects the success of the approach adopted in harmony with its vision for the future to upgrade and bolster the tourism sector in order to attract more tourists and investors to the emirate,” said Mohammad Ali Al No’man, Chairman of SCTDA, in the statement.
Sharjah has 10,000 hotel rooms which the authority expects to grow to 12,000 in the next two years.
Hotel revenue
The emirate is likely to attract more than two million visitors this year, up by between 10 and 11 per cent compared to 2013, which saw 1.9 million visitors. Hotel revenues touched Dh716 million last year.
Sharjah is developing its tourism sector by promoting the emirate regionally and internationally.
“Participating in overseas exhibitions, promoting Sharjah internationally with our stakeholders, partners, both the government and private sectors [and international] marketing and promotional campaigns,” Khalid Al Midfa, director-general of SCTDA, previously told Gulf News.
The tourism authority participated at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai this week, and at the Riyadh Travel Fair last month, to promote its tourism offering.
Meanwhile, the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) recently launched a new brand, called “I Love Sharjah”, to promote the emirate and its tourism and leisure offerings regionally and internationally. Last month, Shurooq participated at the 8th China Enterprises Outbound Investment Conference in Beijing as part of a nine-day roadshow. It held meetings with Chinese companies and organisations in four key investment sectors, including leisure and tourism, logistics, health care, and environment.
