Tag Archives: SCTDA

Sharjah Light Festival 2020 celebrates 10 years of innovation

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) will be organising the 10th edition of Sharjah Light Festival from February 5-15, 2020 under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The cultural and artistic event celebrating the emirate’s achievements in the fields of education, knowledge, and innovation. The latest edition of this unique spectacle will mark a decade of creativity and excellence in harnessing technological capabilities in the field of lighting to produce stunning imageries that tell the story of Sharjah. The Sharjah Light Festival 2020 is set to present fascinating shows that will light up the emirate, attracting those looking to explore the authentic history and heritage of this region. During his speech at the conference, His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said, “The Sharjah Light Festival today has garnered local and international reputation and continues to attract an increasing number of visitors from within the UAE and globally. This year, we celebrate 10 years of the rich legacy of this cultural and artistic spectacle, which would not have been possible without the continuous support of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.” “The 10th edition represents an important milestone in the success of this unique event, which continues to garner wide international attention by presenting impressive lighting displays that embody the spirit and culture of Sharjah and live up to the expectations of visitors and residents. It also contributes to the promotion of Sharjah’s tourism, cultural and heritage attractions in an innovative way,” HE Al Midfa, …

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SCTDA aims to entice more Northern European tourists at Matka Nordic Travel Fair 2020

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) continues to work towards establishing a strong foothold in the Northern European tourism market. Efforts to draw in more visitors from the region will commence this year with its upcoming participation at the Matka Nordic Travel Fair in Helsinki, Finland. Set to take place from January 15 to 19, 2020, the latest edition marks the second consecutive year that SCTDA will be joining the premier global travel event. In 2020, the Authority will showcase Sharjah’s range of diverse tourism offerings – from world-class hotels to exciting adventures and other fun activities to special packages and promos – which are expected to appeal to the Northern European travellers. The five-day Matka Nordic Travel Fair is the largest travel and tourism exhibition in Northern Europe, an important source market for Sharjah’s tourism sector. More than 50,000 visitors and about 20,000 tourism and travel agencies attend the annual international gathering. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “As the largest tourism and travel exhibition in Northern Europe, the Matka Nordic Travel Fair is a significant and strategic platform for us at SCTDA to showcase the emirate’s diverse range of tourism products for visitors and companies in the region. Our participation is part of our continuous efforts to raise Sharjah’s profile as a leading destination that attracts all kinds of tourists from all over the world.” Sharjah welcomed more than 578,000 European travellers in 2018, up 24 per cent from 468,034 tourists recorded in 2017. Joining the SCTDA delegates in the global event are the executives of the Sharjah International Airport Authority, Sharjah Expo, Environment and Protected Areas Authority, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & …

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Sharjah World Championship Week celebrates 20 years of success in sports tourism

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) announced the hosting of 20th edition of the Sharjah World Championship Week to be held from December 17-21, 2019 on Khalid Lagoon during a press conference at the Al Majaz Waterfront, in the presence of H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority; His Excellency Ali Salem Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority and Chairman of Sharjah International Marine Sports Club; Nicolo di San Germano, Promoter, UIM F1 Powerboat and Aquabike World Championship, and a group of racers who are participating in the championship. The event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Executive Council. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, said, “Our main promotional message for this year’s tournament is reflected in the slogan ‘Go Full Throttle into Thrill,’ which highlights the emirate’s passion for water sports activities and offering all that is distinctive and exceptional in a renewed and interesting template filled with competitive spirit, entertainment, excitement of winning and championships.” His Excellency Ali Salem Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Airport Authority and Chairman of Sharjah International Marine Sports Club, said, “We are proud to be once again hosting this year’s edition of Sharjah World Championship Week, which follows the mandate of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to consolidate Sharjah’s leading position as an ideal destination for sports and leisure based activities.”   Nicolo de San Germano, Promoter, UIM F1 Powerboat and Aquabike …

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Sharjah tourism introduces ‘AI Tour Guide Chatbot’

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) unveiled four innovative projects designed to further boost the competitiveness of Sharjah’s tourism sector at the premier GITEX Technology Week 2019 at Dubai World Trade Centre. The ‘AI Tour Guide Chatbot,’ a 24/7 voice-and text-based chatbot, has been developed to provide the latest information about Sharjah to tourists. The interactive tour guide chatbot, which is accessible via WhatsApp, a mobile app, SCTDA’s website, and Facebook messenger, shares accurate details about the emirate’s top tourist destinations, must-do activities, world-class accommodations, leading restaurants, and much more. The project is the result of SCTDA’s initiative to incorporate the latest technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), into its tourism programmes to better highlight Sharjah’s renowned beauty and hospitality while enhancing visitor experience. The ‘AI Tour Guide Chatbot’ supports five languages, including Arabic, English, German, Chinese, and Russian, and can recognise various Arabic accents. The other three projects are Smart Hotel Licensing and Classification system, Smart Vehicle Permit System and Hotel Statistics System – Business Intelligence (HSS – BI) solution. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “These latest projects reflect our commitment to introducing technology-driven ideas that will promote Sharjah as a world-class tourist destination with a wide range of leisure, cultural, and entertainment activities. We are confident that these initiatives will help accelerate the fulfillment of the main goal of Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, which is to attract 10 million tourists to our shores.”

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Tourism and jobs; better future for all: says HE Midfa of SCTDA on World Tourism Day

A statement issued by His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA on World Tourism Day 2019, stated, “The celebration of World Tourism Day 2019, under the theme ‘Tourism and Jobs: A better future for all,’ reaffirms the commitment of the World Tourism Organisation to highlight the skills, education, and jobs available in the tourism industry. This year’s national commemoration is yet another powerful reminder of the social, cultural, economic, and environmental values of tourism, which play a pivotal role in achieving our sustainable development goals and increasing the international tourist arrivals to Sharjah according to Sharjah Tourism Vision. This key framework aims to attract 10 million visitors to the emirate by 2021.” “We are also committed to contributing to the ‘Sultan Al Qasimi Emiratisation Project’—taking pride in being part of this all-encompassing human capacity development initiative through our specialised training courses. By offering such courses, we are helping to improve the skills and knowledge of all workers in the tourism and hospitality industries, raising the level of tourism services in Sharjah and reinforcing our aim to make our services at par with the world. Sharjah has enjoyed significant growth in recent years and the tourism sector has contributed more than AED 9 billion to the total gross domestic product (GDP), which now stands at AED 102.5 billion. Looking ahead, enhancing cooperation between the public and private sector entities is the key to generating greater employment opportunities for our citizens and residents and sustaining our current success,” he shared.

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Sharjah Tourism conducts roadshows in Beijing, Chengdu & Shanghai

As part of its efforts to achieve the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, which aims to attract more than 10 million tourists to the emirate by the year 2021, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) announced that it will organise roadshows in three Chinese cities — Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai. The campaign, which is set to run from September 16-20, is aimed at stimulating the Chinese outbound travel market to Sharjah by encouraging them to take advantage of the UAE’s visa-on-arrival policy for Chinese tourists. The growing number of Chinese tourists to Sharjah who come to explore the emirate’s cultural and heritage identity has made it one of the most important markets for SCTDA. Therefore, the roadshow will add immense value to the Authority’s efforts to attract more Chinese travellers to the emirate, by creating awareness on its product offerings and other special packages. In line with this, the roadshows in Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai will see SCTDA highlight the emirate’s ambitious development projects in cooperation with the public and private sectors before Chinese audiences. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “The number of visitors from China during the second quarter of this year has reached to 13,289, which reflects the consistently increasing interest of Chinese tourists to visit Sharjah, and it is expected this figure will go even higher by the end of this year. In view of this growth, SCTDA’s upcoming roadshows in three Chinese cities will strengthen communication channels with travel, tourism and hospitality industry leaders, and will promote exchange of best practices, successful experiences, and insights on latest trends to effectively support the growth of the tourism industry.”

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Sharjah strengthens campaigns to attract Russian tourists in 2019

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced that it is aiming to attract more Russian visitors. According to the 2018 figures released by SCTDA, Russian visitors ranked second on the list of overnight guests in Sharjah at 328,000. The number of guests from Russia, the Commonwealth, and the Baltics region also posted a 41 per cent growth last year compared to the previous year. Moreover, the market share of Russian visitors went up to 23 per cent during the same period. In light of this trend, SCTDA and Air Arabia will organise a B2B event on  September 11, 2019 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow to showcase Sharjah’s growing reputation as a premiere tourist destination, allowing for the opportunity to forge new partnerships with key Russian tourism industry stakeholders. The event represents SCTDA’s continuing efforts to make sure that the emirate is widely promoted across tourism and travel related events in Russia.          This year, SCTDA’s campaigns are focused on eco-tourism products, outdoor activities, and branded hotels to firmly establish Sharjah’s status as an ideal global family-friendly destination. All these initiatives are in response to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to position Sharjah as the ideal global tourist destination. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “With the influx of Russian tourists visiting the emirate, we at SCTDA are working hard to sustain this trend. Expanding our presence in Russia through our partnerships with key local tourism and travel players is of extreme significance to us.”

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Sharjah Summer Festival 2019 to offer new experiences

Following the success of the first Sharjah Summer Festival last year, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has launched a new version of the festival this year, which will take place from July 17 to August 17, 2019.  The festival will offer special tourist packages that have been created especially with families in view, which includes a diverse portfolio of leisure activities ranging from summer camps to shopping discounts and more. The SCTDA has also revealed that the latest edition of the festival is part of the continuing efforts to attract over 10 million tourists into Sharjah by the year 2021. This year, the festival will feature diverse entertainment events and fun recreational and cultural activities for the summer season organized to highlight Sharjah’s unique customs, tourist sites, and natural beauty. The event will host a variety of surprises and activities throughout the month, providing local, regional, and international tourists with a range of discounts and other exclusive offerings in hotels and shopping centers. Expo Centre Sharjah will also host the family-oriented “Sharjah Fun Fair” with fun, indoor activities on top of other cultural events that will be staged across the emirate as part of the festival. Visitors can participate in sports and games scheduled during the event, including several fun activities in an area dedicated for children. There will also be food kiosks, competitions and other events to experience. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “The festival’s new edition reflects our keenness to organise events that enhance the emirate’s tourism sector and revitalise the economy. It is also part of the ongoing efforts to reinforce the emirate’s position as a highly preferred tourist destination.” …

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Sharjah showcases tourism offerings at MITT to attract the Russian market

Amid an ever-growing number of Russian visitors to Sharjah, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is further boosting its presence in Russia’s tourism sector following the surge in tourist arrivals to the emirate which reached 392,691 in 2018. SCTDA is promoting the emirate’s leading attractions through its 20th year of participation at the Moscow International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT) 2019, taking place from March 12 to 14, 2019 at Expo Centre Fairground. MITT 2019 marks the 26th anniversary of the event with 1,799 companies taking part in the exhibitions and the number of visitors from around the world expected to exceed 25,000. H E Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “MITT will once again provide SCTDA with a global platform to showcase the emirate’s promotional plans to enhance its position as a leading family tourist destination and attract 10 million tourists by 2021 based on the objective of Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021. We look forward to strengthening our relations with our Russian travel and tourism partners and agencies to enable us to gain wider access to the country and key European markets.” This year, SCTDA is focusing on eco-tourism products, outdoor activities and branded hotels operating in the emirate to promote Sharjah as an ideal regional and global family-friendly destination. Sharjah’s delegation at the exhibition includes Sharjah International Airport; Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA); Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA); Air Arabia; Sharjah Collection; Coral Beach Resort; Ramada Hotel & Suites Sharjah; Radisson Blu Resort; Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort; Copthorne Hotel Sharjah; Red Castle Hotel; Tulip Inn; Al Khalidiah Tourism LLC.

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Sharjah to unveil latest plans and strategies at ITB Berlin to attract the German market

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) will highlight its new milestones and achievements in promoting Sharjah’s tourism industry at ITB Berlin 2019 to be held from March 6-10. SCTDA oversaw unprecedented success in 2018, recording a growth of 23 per cent, and focused on the heritage and culture of Sharjah and the UAE as it welcomed 575,876 European guests throughout the year. SCTDA will strongly emphasise on promoting local culture and distinct leisure activities that the emirate has to offer at ITB Berlin 2019 as they aim to build on this figure. Commenting on the participation, H E Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “Our latest participation in ITB Berlin represents a new opportunity for us to highlight the most elegant aspects of the Sharjah’s heritage, historic sites, adventures, architecture, culture and other offerings. We hope our focus on the emirate’s ecotourism, outdoor activities and branded hotels will attract more tourists and investors from Germany, a major source market, and other participating nations. The event will also enhance our efforts to meet our target of attracting 10 million visitors by 2021.” “Through our participation in the exhibition, we look forward to strengthen our cooperation with airlines, airports, hospitality and travel facilities. We anticipate new partnerships that will promote the growth of passenger and cargo traffic through Sharjah Airport, which has now become of the leading global networks for many countries. Our presence also seeks to introduce the latest and most important services, innovations and facilities provided by Sharjah Airport as well as present expansion projects currently underway and how they can contribute to tourism growth in the coming years,” he further said. Participating entities under the umbrella of SCTDA include Sharjah …

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