Sharjah tourism grows with 80% hotel occupancy and a 14% rise in room nights

Dubai: The number of hotel guests in Sharjah grew 8 per cent in the first quarter of this year to 503,985 mark, up from 466,218 in the same period last year, said a statement by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA).

Hotel occupancy rose by 2 percentage points to 80 per cent, compared to last year. Hotel room nights or overnight stays grew 14 per cent to 612,574 room nights, against 539,393 room nights in the same period last year.

Europeans accounted for 38 per cent of the total number of tourists visiting the emirate, forming the largest tourism feeding market of the emirate. The tourists from the Arab Gulf or GCC states stood second at 34 per cent of the tourism market share.

The Asian tourists ranked third bagging 14 per cent of the share while the percentage of tourists from other Arab countries stood at 10 per cent. Visitors from the CIS nations, Americas, Africa and the Pacific countries contributed 4 per cent to the tourism market.

The number of hotel establishments in the emirate now stands at 101 (46 hotels and 55 hotel apartments) with a combined total of 9,093 rooms. More hotels and hotel apartments are set to join in the next stage to boost the hospitality sector and its capacity.

According to the SCTDA, a number of hotels and resorts are getting ready to take on the challenge of the increasing number of international visitors. Thanks to the encouraging investments made in the hospitality in recent years, the capacity of the emirate’s hospitality sector will jump to 12,000 rooms over the next three years.

Positive development

Mohammad Ali Al Noman, Chairman of SCTDA, said that the statistics are a reflection of the positive development witnessed by the tourism sector in Sharjah and the path to excellence that the emirate has been pursuing winning itself a number of accolades and awards.

Al Noman said Sharjah’s unique approach to tourism with its world-class cultural and family festivals celebrating family values and its showcasing in international events and exhibitions has helped the emirate establish itself as a destination with a difference for international travellers and families.

Festivals like the Sharjah Light Festival and Sharjah Water Festival and various other world-class events have attracted thousands of tourists from across the world. It’s the diversity of Sharjah’s tourism experience that has put it amongst the world’s favourite tourist destinations, emphasised Al Noman.

He said these positive results and increasing number of international arrivals add to the challenges and responsibilities of all players and actors of the tourism industry to put in greater efforts and excel greater success and increased rates of growth in the tourism sector in coming years.

With a number of ambitious tourism projects being undertaken in the emirate, including Chedi Khorfakkan Luxury resort and spa which will include 212 luxury suites and the massive Kalba ecotourism project on the East Coast, exciting times lie ahead, emphasised the SCTDA Chairman.