German travel and tourism delegation explore Sharjah and Khor Fakkan

Sharjah: Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority has stressed the Authority’s keenness to further promote Sharjah in the German tourism market by hosting German delegations and focusing on travel and tourism exhibitions including ITB Berlin.

This came during a meeting with a visiting German delegation representing ten leading travel and tour operators.

The trip included visits to a number of tourist attractions and landmarks in the Sharjah city and a visit to the port city of Khor Fakkan on the East Coast. The German visitors were briefed on the emirate’s tourism industry features and the heritage and customs of Emirati society.

The delegation also got a taste of authentic Emirati food and fabled Arabian hospitality at a traditional Emirati home and kitchen besides a peek into the Emirati sartorial traditions and customs like henna application etc.

Al Midfa said that by inviting the German travel and tourism operators, the Authority is looking to more proactively promote Sharjah’s distinct cultural tourism experience in the German market, attracting more German tourists to the emirate and strengthening cooperation between the two tourist destinations.

The Director General drew attention to the development witnessed in recent years in the Eastern region and the city of Khor fakkan in particular, which is rightly called the Bride of the East Coast because of its rich natural landscape.

Among the various tourist attractions that the German delegation visited in Sharjah, the trip to the celebrated Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation was truly special. The museum is home to more than 5,000 pieces of Islamic history and artefacts from all over the Islamic world.

On this occasion, the German visitors were briefed on Sharjah’s ancient civilisational heritage and the preparations for celebrating the emirate as the Capital of Islamic Culture for Year 2014 by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation nations.

The German guests also paid a visit to the Heritage Area and Souq Al Arsa, one of the oldest traditional markets in the UAE, and the ambitious Heart of Sharjah project.

It is worth noting that the SCTDA has in recent times organised a number of orientation tours and educational and training workshops for the travel and tourism professionals and industry partners in and outside the country. “Explore your Destination” and “Treasures of Sharjah — Oil and Natural Gas” are some of the most recent training and orientation programmes.