UAE: Visitor Guide To Engage Sharjah Tourists

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced a new initiative to promote Sharjah’s tourist attractions and services via hotels and hotel apartments in the emirate. The SCTDA is installing interactive touch-screen information terminals in all five- and four-star hotels as well as luxury hotel apartments in an effort to engage visiting tourists.

The new initiative falls under the SCTDA’s Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021 strategy that aims to attract 10 million tourists by 2021. The four pillars of Vision 2021 are promoting Sharjah as an Ideal Family Tourism Destination; developing an Innovative Tourism Approach; offering World Class Tourism Facilities and Capabilities; and Continuing to develop Sharjah’s status as an International Cultural Hub.

According to the SCTDA interactive information terminals will eventually be deployed to all hotels, tourist attractions, airport, shopping malls, museums and government departments in the emirate to help enhance Sharjah’s visitor experience. In addition to reducing the need for printed brochures, the new interactive information terminals will allow tourists and visitors to access comprehensive content about Sharjah allowing them to discover services, facilities and attractions that they may have otherwise missed.

The new interactive service focuses on highlighting Sharjah’s cultural attractions, but also offers information on a wide range of local services from education institutions to business and investment opportunities.

Sharjah’s tourism sector experienced strong growth in 2014, benefiting from the emirate’s status as Islamic Culture Capital for 2014, with more than two million guests checking into Sharjah hotels. The tourism sector is also expected to perform well in 2015, as Sharjah enjoys its year as the ‘Capital of Arab Tourism for 2015’. There are now more than 100 hotels in Sharjah offering 10,000 hotel rooms, including 50 hotels and 56 hotel apartments, with a number of new hotels and resorts currently under development.

UAE: Sharjah Targets 10 Million Tourists By 2021

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) today announced Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, a tourism development strategy that aims to attract more than 10 million tourists to the emirate by year 2021.

The SCTDA’s strategic plan, which follows an indepth study of Sharjah’s tourism market, proposition for tourists and opportunities in the sector, is built on four key pillars.

– The first pillar, entails promoting Sharjah as an Ideal Family Tourism Destination by offering distinct packages and offers specially designed for families.

– An Innovative Tourism Approach is core to the second pillar, improving the tourist experience through the provision of innovative solutions.

– World Class Tourism Facilities and Capabilities to enhance efficiencies in tourism sector through partnership and collaborative action constitute the third pillar.

– Continuing to develop Sharjah’s status as an International Cultural Hub will be the fourth pillar, which also resonates well with Sharjah’s family tourism objectives.

The tourism sector experienced strong growth in 2014, benefiting from the emirate’s status as Islamic Culture Capital for 2014, with more than two million guests checking into Sharjah hotels. The tourism sector is also expected to perform well in 2015, as Sharjah enjoys its year as Arab Tourism Capital.

The Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021 strategy was presented by H.E. Mohammed Ali Al Noman, Chairman of SCTDA and H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General of SCTDA to key players in tourism, travel and hospitality sectors and the media.

The SCTDA was established in 1996 by Emiri Decree No. 5, with the objective of promoting commercial and tourism activities in the Emirate of Sharjah.