UAE: Sharjah Tourism Goes To India Travel Trade

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) took Sharjah’s tourism proposition to India’s travel trade this month, attending leading Indian international travel exhibitions in Mumbai and New Delhi.

The South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in New Delhi event attracts 20,000 travel trade attendees, over 30 international tourism boards and more than 850 travel and tourism exhibitors, while OTM in Mumbai attracts over 1,000 exhibitors from 50 countries and 10,000 members of the travel trade.

Led by the SCTDA, Sharjah’s participation in SATTE 2017 included Ramada Sharjah, Golden Tulip Sharjah, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa, Sharjah National Hotels, Air Arabia, SATA (Sharjah Airport Travel Agency), Cozmo Travels and Auras Tours.

According to tourism authority figures, India has emerged as the fourth largest market for global visitors to Sharjah and the SCTDA has led an ongoing marketing campaign targeting India’s outbound tourism over the past few years, attending key travel events and visiting cities across the country. According to the Indian Ministry of Tourism, 18.33 million Indians traveled overseas during 2014 and the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) expects that Indian outbound travel could grow to 50 million by the year 2020.

Sharjah-headquartered budget airline Air Arabia, which launched operations in 2003, began developing the Indian market early on, adding 13 destinations throughout India by 2009. The airline now operates 112 flights between Sharjah and India per week and has offices in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thriuvananthapuram.

IndiGo is the latest airline to introduce new India-Sharjah connections. The budget operator plans to begin daily non-stop Sharjah-Kozhikode (CCJ) flights from 20 March and daily non-stop Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) flights from 8 April.

Meanwhile, Air India Express, which added three new Sharjah routes last year, now operates 7 direct routes to Sharjah International Airport from Chandigarh (IXC), Kochi (COK), Kozhikode (CCJ), Mumbai (SAHAR), Thiruvananthapuram (TRV), Tiruchirapalli (TRZ) and Varanasi (VNS). Competitor Jet Airways flies daily to Sharjah from Kozhikode, or Calicut (CCJ) and Kochi (COK), both in the south-west coast Indian state of Kerala.
Sharjah’s fast developing tourism sector, strategic location and strong business links with the subcontinent have made the emirate popular with Indian travelers.

UAE: Sharjah Tourism To Open Five Global Offices

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has recently revealed plans to open five overseas offices to promote Sharjah as a tourism destination. The authority will open representative offices in China, India, Russia, Germany and Saudi Arabia during the first part of 2016. Meanwhile, the authority has forecast a modest 3-5 percent growth in tourist numbers for this year, after a drop in hotel guests in 2015.

The SCTDA’s tourism development strategy aims to attract more than 10 million tourists to Sharjah by year 2021. However, despite a record year for Sharjah International Airport, which handled 10 million passengers during 2015, Sharjah hotel guest numbers dropped 13 percent to 1.79 million from 2 million in 2014.

According to industry sources, a contributing factor to lower hotel bookings last year was the continuing deterioration in the strength of the Russian Rouble, which significantly reduced the number of Russian tourists visiting Europe and the Middle East.

The SCTDA’s new overseas tourism offices will help drive the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021 strategic plan and allow the authority to better target different inbound tourist segments. In recent years, the emirate has successfully positioned itself as a family tourism destination, a international cultural hub and an Islamic cultural centre. Sharjah was named the Islamic Culture Capital for 2014 and the Capital of Arab Tourism for 2015.

Sharjah offers more than 100 hotels and hotel apartments, including properties managed by some of the leading five star hotel brands in the world. The emirate’s luxury segment was given a boost last year with the opening of a new 349 room Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa by Starwoods. Meanwhile, a new US$100 million (AED 367m) art and culture themed 5-star luxury beachfront hotel and resort to be managed by Accor is currently under development. On Sharjah’s east coast, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) is developing Al Jabal Resort – The Chedi Khorfakkan, a mountainside luxury villa resort.

Sharjah International Airport saw passengers increase by a 10 percent to 929,539 last month, compared with January 2015. This included 10 percent increases in both inbound and outbound passenger numbers.

UAE: Sheraton Opens Luxury Sharjah Resort

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has formally announced the opening of the Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa, marking its entry in the Emirate of Sharjah and bolstering Sharjah’s proposition for luxury tourism.

The Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa features 349 spacious guest rooms and suites, and provides panoramic views of the Arabian Gulf and the city of Sharjah. The resort opens with Al Qubtan, a beach side restaurant and the Link@Sheraton Café inside the hotel, while three more food and beverage outlets will open in November and another in December.

The new Sheraton is expected to boost availability of luxury accommodation for tourists, expand options for businesses in Sharjah and provide a new upscale venue for social events. The hotel offers the largest hotel conference facilities in the city with over 2,100 square meters of meeting and event space, including two large ballrooms and and nine meeting rooms, making it an ideal choice for both social and business functions.

Sharjah currently has a strong pipeline of new hotels planned, including a Four Points by Sheraton Sharjah in the city’s Al Rifaa area, which is expected to open in May 2017. The emirate already has more than 100 hotels and hotel apartments, including properties managed by some of the leading five star hotel brands in the world.

The luxury hotel segment has recently seen an increase in activity with the construction of Al Jabal Resort, The Chedi Khorfakkan on Sharjah’s east coast by Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) the announcement in May this year of plans for new US$100 million (AED 367m) art and culture themed 5-star luxury beachfront hotel and resort in Sharjah city by the Accor Group.

Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, a tourism development strategy announced by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) earlier this year, targets family tourism, Muslim tourists and those seeking art and culture. According to the SCTDA, 70 per cent of Sharjah’s tourists are families, with a high percentage of Muslim visitors. Sharjah plans to attract more than 10 million tourists to the emirate by year 2021.