Sharjah, March 23rd, 2010 The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced to participate in the 27th Swedish International Travel and Tourism Fair (TUR 2010), which will take place at the Swedish Exhibition Centre in Gothenburg, from 25 to 28 March 2010.

The emirate’s participation in this event, represented by the SCTDA, is intended to boost Sharjah’s presence in the Scandinavian market, which is among the most significant target markets that the SCTDA has been planning to reach and impress over the last few years.

Media coverage of TUR 2010 is expected to be extensive, as more than 465 media representatives will cover the participation of over 1,200 exhibitors from 100 countries, as well as over 1,900 industry decision-makers.

The SCTDA has stressed the importance of organizing the emirate’s participation in this important international fair, which is considered the most prominent international tourism exhibition in the Scandinavian market. This participation helps achieve the Authority’s goal of opening up new markets to increase the flow of tourists into the emirate.

Thanks to its visionary promotional strategy, the Authority was able to increase the number of Scandinavian tourists visiting Sharjah to 17,000 in 2009, a 47 increase from the 11,000 that visited in 2008.

In its fifth participation at TUR, the SCTDA aims to further expand its international presence, introduce Sharjah’s tourism products to the Scandinavian market and explore ways to increase the flow of Scandinavian tourists into Sharjah. These will include such initiatives as developing competitive tourist packages for this region, promoting Sharjah as a favourable investment destination, and raising awareness of Sharjah’s investor-friendly climate and sound infrastructure among the Scandinavian investment community.

Through its presence in the Scandinavian market, the SCTDA will seek to increase Scandinavian tourism in the emirate. The most prominent of these is Scandinavian airlines’ tendency to operate transit flights to the Far East through Sharjah International Airport, especially in the winter season.

The Authority aims to achieve a 5-10 percent annual increase in the average number of tourists from Scandinavian countries visiting Sharjah. Recent statistics have shown an increase in the number of Scandinavian tourists visiting Sharjah in the past few years, in response to the emirate’s growing reputation as a world-class destination, featuring a multitude of unique tourist attractions.