11% more tourists visit Sharjah in first half of 2010 Over 745,000 tourists visit Sharjah in H1 2010

Date Published: Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Sharjah's tourism sector expected to see 5% growth in 2010

The number of tourist arrivals in Sharjah increased by 11 percent in the first half of this year, compared to the same period in 2009, according to the latest report by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA).

The report also shows a 70 percent hotel occupancy rate in the period under review, with 745,069 guests staying in the emirate's 107 hotel establishments (41 hotels and 66 hotel apartments), compared to the 671,662 guests reported in the corresponding period in 2009, an increase of 11 percent. The guests were split roughly evenly between hotels and hotel apartments, with 369,199 staying in hotels and 375,903 staying in hotel apartments.

The statistics revealed that the growth of the emirate’s tourism sector can be attributed to its key tourist attractions and special offerings at hotel establishments.

 The total number of occupied room nights in Sharjah's hotels and hotel apartments was 783,396 in 2010 (412,897 nights and 370,499 nights, respectively), constituting an eight percent increase over the same period last year.

 The SCTDA’s statistics show that the majority of tourists (45%) entering Sharjah in the first half of 2010 were from Europe, while 25 percent were from the GCC, 14 percent were from Asian countries, 11 percent were from other Arab countries, and the remaining five percent were from the Commonwealth, the United States, Africa and the Pacific Region.

 Commenting on these figures, H.E. Mohamed A. Al Noman, SCTDA Director General, said: “The statistics provide clear evidence of the resilience of Sharjah’s tourism sector, and its ability to maintain its previous achievements while pressing ahead with well-studied plans for the future to further increase the tourist flow from all over the world.”

 The SCTDA is dedicated to boosting Sharjah's status and consolidating its strong foothold on the global tourism map. In line with this, the Authority is working according to a carefully studied and well-organised programme based on a sound vision and accurate analysis of all changes and events taking place in the local, regional and global arenas, he explained.

“The SCTDA is focusing on targeting markets that are important for professionals and people concerned with the tourism industry, and on organising events and activities that will contribute significantly to tourism promotion, as well as on taking part in world's largest tourism and trade exhibitions and organizing promotion tours and marketing activities across the world,” he said.

 Al Noman added that the SCTDA is embracing a clear strategy to develop Sharjah's tourism sector by targeting international markets and organising events and activities that promote the emirate globally. “The SCTDA worked extremely hard during the first half of 2010 as we stepped up our efforts to target the local, regional and international tourism markets so as to meet the needs of Sharjah's flourishing tourism sector. We will continue our endeavours to cope with the latest developments and to further promote Sharjah as a distinguished tourist, heritage, cultural and family destination and we expecting to archive 5% growth in tourism sector this year .”

 “Following our successful participations in several global events and exhibitions, in the first half of this year the SCTDA was keen to implement a number of major local tourist projects to boost the emirate’s tourism sector and strengthen it with all the necessary assets that would eventually lead to upgrading services provided to both tourists and residents,” Al Noman continued.

 The SCTDA also participated in several local events in the first half of 2010, including the prestigious Sharjah Heritage Days, and as part of its local activities the Authority recently launched its second training and licensing course for tourist guides, following the success of the first programme.

 One of the big upcoming events on the SCTDA calendar is the Sharjah Lights Festival 2011, which will be one of the most prestigious events to be held in Sharjah next year. This festival will be the first of its kind in the Middle East, and is expected to contribute significantly to highlighting the emirate's tourist assets and luring more tourists.