Dubai: Sharjah plans to increase the contribution of its tourism sector to its Dh42.5 billion gross domestic product (GDP) from the current 9 per cent to 15 per cent in the coming years, a top official said.
At this rate, the tourism sector of the UAE's third largest emirate would be worth Dh3.82 billion.
"Sharjah's tourism sector is growing at 10 to 15 per cent and we expect the tourism sector's contribution to cross 15 per cent to our GDP," Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), told Gulf News yesterday.
"We want to reinforce our position in the regional tourism industry by aggressively marketing the emirate as a cultural and family tourism destination, apart from business travel."
Sharjah is the only 'dry' state in the UAE that does not allow liquor consumption. None of its hotels are allowed to serve liquor.
"We will maintain our core value. Our hotels are doing very well with increased occupancy and we see there is a growing demand for family and cultural tourism," he said.
"Sharjah has 22 museums and a large number of heritage sites," he said.
Sharjah's growing hotel industry served 1.5 million guests last year.
The number of guests surged to 421,898 in the first quarter of 2008 against 377,306 in the corresponding period last year.
The overall occupancy in the emirate's hotels and hotel apartments is 80 per cent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with 77 per cent in 2007, according to reports by SCTDA, the emirate's tourism regulatory body.
Sharjah has recently introduced hotel classification system based on best international practices. Apart from five-star ratings for the hotels, the new classification also divides serviced apartments into three categories: standard, deluxe and luxury.
The number of hotels and hotel apartments in Sharjah increased to 96 units (33 hotels and 63 hotel apartments) in the first quarter of 2008 as compared to 74 units (24 hotels and 50 hotel apartments) in 2007.
The number of occupied room nights rose to 399,443, in the first quarter of 2008. This figure includes 241,095 for hotels, and 158.348 for the hotel apartments, compared to 387,381 in first quarter of 2007, in which 229,050 where for hotels, and 158.332 for hotel apartments.
European tourists accounted for 39 per cent of the total tourist influx into the emirate in first quarter of 2008. GCC tourists came second with 23 per cent, and Asian tourists accounted for 23 per cent, while 21 per cent came from various other Arab countries.
Asian tourists recorded 16 per cent and Commonwealth, American, African and Pacific tourists made up the remaining four per cent.
"The number of hotels and serviced apartments have gone up to 96 with in excess of 7,000 guestrooms at the end of the last year, increasing from 74 at the beginning of 2007," Al Qasimi said.
"This year, we are going to add ten more hotels."
The emirate's tourism sector has further been boosted by the expansion of Air Arabia's growing network, Al Qasimi said.
Sharjah International Airport served 4.3 million passengers last year.
