Water Festival to open on December 14

Sharjah: The chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has reiterated its goal of targeting an annual increase in foreign visitors to the emirate.

"Our goal each year is to target a five to 10 per cent increase in the number of visitors coming to Sharjah. For the past few years we have done admirably well, and this year too our objective remains the same," Shaikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), told Gulf News during the formal launch of the 5th Sharjah Water Festival here yesterday.

Last year the number of visitors to Sharjah was put at 1.5 million tourists from all over the world.

This year, the tourism authority is eyeing an even better figure with the festival as an apt backdrop to attract visitors.

World class events

"The SCTDA has been working vigorously to increase this number further by organising world class events and festivals like the Sharjah Water Festival that is now on its fifth year," he added.

The Sharjah Water Festival will take place at the Al Majaz Park and will run from December 14 to 23.

With the 12th edition of the UIM F1 World Powerboat Championship as its highlight on the opening weekend of December 15-16, the ten-day event offers other family-oriented activities and entertainment.

"While the F1 race has always been a major draw attracting more than 75,000 tourists here, we have a varied offering of activities to entertain the local residents of the country as well. This is a world-class event and we set the standard each year and then try to better this during the next one," Shaikh Sultan said.

The highlight this year will be the renowned "Circus on Ice" along with daily magic shows, ice skating and the popular Mouj Adventure Zone among other things.

Promotional activities

Promotional activities for the Sharjah Water Festival have already commenced with organisers using various local media forums in the UAE and other Gulf countries.

"We have also invited international and regional media to come and visit Sharjah during this time of the year so that we create a true image of Sharjah while stressing on its unique features and landmarks," said Mohammad Ali Abdullah Al No'man, Director-General of SCTDA.

The authority has also organised visits of the festival mascot, Mouj, to more than 20 public and private schools so that they can get the youth to get involved in the festival's activities.