Sharjah takes to streets to promote tourism in emirate

Dubai: The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), in cooperation with Air Arabia and a number of representatives from the emirate's tourism sector, will embark on the first roadshow of its kind through three European countries, SCTDA said in press release yesterday.

The 10-day mission aims to attract more European tourists to Sharjah by promoting its tourist attractions in three prime European destinations Turkey, Bulgaria and the Greek capital, Athens from February 14 to 21.

In addition to the SCTDA, the delegation includes representatives of the Sharjah International Airport Authority, Radisson Blu Resort, and Golden Tulip Sharjah Hotel.

The road show is part of the SCTDA's efforts to increase the number of tourists visiting Sharjah and to promote the emirate's unique tourist attractions, positioning it as a leading destination for heritage, culture and family tourism.

Mohammad A. Al No'man, Director General, SCTDA, said that such shows are particularly important given the challenges facing the global tourism sector, and the major changes that have been made to cope with the effects of the economic crisis.

Leading the way

"These challenging times make us responsible for fulfilling all the requirements that will ensure Sharjah of a leading position on the regional and global tourism map.

"We will do this by increasing the marketing and promotional activities for the emirate, with particular focus on its unique blend of past and present, which make it emirate a world-class destination of choice, particularly for cultural and heritage tourism."

"The SCTDA is seeking to oil the wheels of economic growth by increasing the marketing and promotional activities for Sharjah's various tourist attractions, in line with the rapid progress achieved in the emirate's tourism sector with the entry of a number of new hotel facilities to its hospitality market.

The number of hotels and hotel apartments in the Sharjah has increased to 110, with over 8,000 hotel rooms available, a figure that reflects the rapid growth in the emirate's tourism sector," he said.

Al No'man said that 608,281 European tourists visited Sharjah in 2009, accounting for 42 per cent of tourist arrivals to the emirate, a seven per cent increase over the figures for 2008.

This growth rate confirms the importance of building and maintaining a presence in these vital markets, and the necessity of making offers to European tourists in order to continue to drive the emirate's tourism sector towards further growth.