Sharjah, Oct. 17th, 2010 — Mohamed A. Al Noman, Director General of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority in Sharjah, has reiterated the importance of increasing the number of tourists coming to the emirate from Asian markets.
This came shortly before the departure of a delegation from the Emirate of Sharjah to the International Tourism Bourse Asia (ITB Asia), which will be held at the Sontec Conference and Exhibition Centre in Singapore from 20 to 22 October.
Al Noman pointed out that the Authority is currently working on expanding in this market and are looking to enhance its level of presence by participating in annual exhibitions and special tourism bourses in order to raise the rate of flow of tourists to Sharjah.
The Authority’s participation in ITB Asia comes as part of its strategy and ongoing efforts to promote Sharjah’s tourism attractions and investment opportunities, as well as to boost the emirate’s position on the global tourism map, while confirming the success it has already achieved.
Speaking of the importance of the Asian market, Al Noman said: “In addition to our focus on the GCC and European markets during the past few years, we seek to take advantage of the Asian market by focusing on heritage, cultural and family tourism, eco tourism and elite tourism, as well as conferences. Our aim is to target Asian tourism markets such as China, Singapore and Hong Kong in this framework. The fact is that this market is one of the most promising markets to supply the region with tourists, and it will undoubtedly increase the percentage of tourism contribution to the GDP of the Emirate of Sharjah.” On Sharjah’s participation he said: “In line with its strategy, the SCTDA usually puts a series of activities and events on its annual agenda with the aim of highlighting and promoting Sharjah’s uniquely diverse tourism offerings, including heritage, cultural, entertainment and family attractions, in order to increase the flow of tourists to the emirate. Our participation in ITB Asia comes specifically as the flow of Asian tourists to the emirate is ever-increasing. In fact, Asian tourists accounted for 20 percent of the emirate’s total visitors up to the end of August this year.
“The SCTDA aims, through its participation in Asia’s leading tourism exhibition, to introduce Sharjah as a destination of choice and to further boost its position on the world tourism map. Our aim is also to promote the upcoming activities and major events that are planned for the rest of this year and the first quarter of 2011, namely the Sharjah Water Festival, the Sharjah Lights Festival and the Sharjah Grand Prix 2010 – the F1 Powerboat World Championships. There is generally great global interest in these unique festivals and events, which attract a large number of spectators and visitors from various cultural backgrounds”, he added.
Organized and led by the Authority, Sharjah’s delegation to ITB Asia includes representatives from various bodies and organizations within the emirate, including Sharjah International Airport Authority, Coral Beach Resort, Corniche Al Buhaira Hotel and Golden Tulip Hotel.
