Tag Archives: SCTDA

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has launched the ninth edition of Sharjah Light Festival from February 6-16, 2019 under the patronage of H H Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The festival will present a line-up of renowned artists during its 11-day run, spread across 20 shows throughout the emirate, on the theme ‘Culture and Family.’ The theme of Sharjah Light Festival 2019 will illuminate 17 leading locations in the emirate of Sharjah including Sharjah University City Campus Avenue, Sharjah Police Academy, University City Hall, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah Book Authority, Sharjah City Municipality, Khalid Lagoon, Masjid Al Noor; Al Qasba (Internal Facades), Palm Oasis- Khalid Lagoon, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Directorate of Human Resources – Kalba, Municipality and Municipal Council – Al Hamriyah & Kalba; Municipality and Municipal Council – Khorfakkan, Directorate of Town Planning Department – Khorfakkan; and Masjid Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Qasimi – Dibba Al-Hisn will light up in motifs that encapsulate the significance of culture and family, as part of the festival. H E Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “The festival has achieved great success over the past years, embodying the most important tourist attractions in Sharjah whilst reflecting the richness of the emirate’s culture. There will be a range of artistic performances and a showcase of historical architecture through modern lighting techniques such as laser mapping, which will be shown for the first time in Al Qasba and Khalid Lagoon.” The light shows will be accompanied by specially composed music by renowned artists from all over the world. The daily shows will run from 6:00 pm to 11:00 …

Dubai’s iconic Burj Khalifa lit the sky up with an enigmatic and enthralling light show focusing the spotlight on the upcoming edition of the Sharjah Light Festival 2019, from Friday January 18, 2019). The exciting display of lights and images is a show of support to the efforts of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) and an opportunity to promote the coming Festival—drawing visitors to this year’s edition of Sharjah’s popular and awe-inspiring event, which uses light to showcase the artistic, cultural, heritage and aesthetics unique to the architectural landmark buildings of the emirate, reflecting the splendour of Arab and Islamic civilisation. The Sharjah Light Festival 2019 will be held for the 9th consecutive year, from February 6 to 16, within a unique family and cultural atmosphere. The famous Sharjah Light Festival puts Sharjah’s landmark buildings in the spotlight, with spectacular images projected onto their façades using innovative light technology and accompanied by specially composed music. During its 11-day run, the Festival will attract over a million visitors including families to more than a dozen locations across the emirate, reaching as far as the east coast. Free shows are held from 6 pm to 11 pm and go on until midnight on weekends. In addition, a water carnival along the Khalid Lagoon takes place around 9 pm every evening, to delight visitors and residents.

In line with its strategy to reach out to and explore new global markets, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) participated for the first time in Matka Nordic Travel Fair, being held at Messukeskus Helsinki in Finland from January 17 to 20, 2019. The participation in Matka 2019 formed part of SCTDA’s endeavours to target key global markets through participating in international events and exhibitions to strengthen Sharjah’s position as a leading global tourist destination. Besides creating awareness about its unique tourism and hospitality offerings before visitors from the Nordics, the participation in Northern Europe’s largest travel industry event also marks SCTDA’s entry into the Nordic markets. The emirate of Sharjah welcomed 92,000 travellers from Northern Europe in the year 2018. To further drive and sustain this growth, SCTDA’s partners such as Radisson Blue Hotel, Sharjah International Airport Authority, Coral Beach Hotel, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA), the Act Hotel, Sharjah Collection, Beach Hotel and TravTalk will exhibit under its banner at the exhibition to raise awareness about the emirate’s local culture, history and unique tourism offerings. The concerted efforts will support the achievement of Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021. To attract an increased number of international visitors to the emirate, including Northern Europeans, SCTDA focuses on the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021 that aims to attract more than 10 million tourists by the year 2021, coinciding with the UAE’s 50th year of founding. To achieve this, SCTDA, in collaboration with partners in the tourism sector, has adopted four strategic pillars. These are: the promotion of Sharjah as an ideal family tourism destination by offering distinct packages and offers, adoption of an innovative tourism approach to enhance the tourist experience, …

As part of its strategy to explore key global markets to effectively position Sharjah on the global tourism map, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is participating at SATTE 2019, South Asia’s leading travel trade show, being held from January 16-18 at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida – Delhi NCR. SCTDA will utilise the event platform to enhance the emirate’s brand and profile before Indian and other international visitors to drive growth, particularly in terms of the number of international tourist arrivals in 2019 and beyond. At SATTE 2019, the Authority will showcase Sharjah’s unique tourism and hospitality offerings along with a number of partners from both public and private sectors. These include Ramada Hotel- Sharjah, Copthorne Hotel- Sharjah, Air Arabia, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA), Orient Tours and TravTalk. Under SCTDA’s banner, these entities will highlight Sharjah’s local culture, history and the diverse leisure and recreational activities its tourism sector has to offer. HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “Since SATTE has become the launch platform for many countries and tourism products from across the globe to do business in and with India, we consider this as an extremely strategic opportunity to widen our reach and explore new partnerships. Our participation in SATTE 2019 complements our vision of positioning Sharjah as the ideal global destination for family holidaymakers, while also emphasising the emirate’s status as a well-known cultural hub for historical and natural heritage. Drawing inspiration from the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, which aims to attract 10 million tourists, we will continue to develop distinctive family leisure and tourism activities with special packages to attract visitors. Hence, expanding our presence to new markets through partnerships with …

Aimed at the vision of receiving 10 million tourists to the emirate of Sharjah, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority conducted its 5th Hospitality Forum under the patronage of His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The day was a learning experience of best practices from various professionals from around the globe. Michel Julian from UNWTO shared the key note address on the impact of budget travellers and millenials on the tourism sector and economy.

One of the most important MiCE events in the emirate of Sharjah, this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) opened under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member, Supreme Council and Ruler, Sharjah. Now in its 37th year, the fair has attracted visitors from across the globe and is considered as the second-largest book fair in the world. This edition will be hosting more than 20 million books from 1.6 million titles, 80,000 of which are new titles, and 1,874 publishing houses from 77 countries. The event will be curating 1800 events and featuring 472 guests from around the world with 200 book signing ceremonies for authors from 19 countries. Japan is the Guest of Honour at this year’s edition in celebration of its cultural and creative achievements. SIBF will be organising more than 100 activities comprising 13 Japanese authors and creative artists. The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) announced the launch of its interactive blog during its participation at the SIBF, with an aim to encourage visitors and residents of Sharjah to share their positive experiences in the emirate. The blog provides an ideal platform to share memorable experiences of visits to the emirate’s tourism and entertainment sites. In a move to better engage audiences, SCTDA’s blog will run a contest encouraging participants to write articles on their views and personal experiences about Sharjah in 300 to 400 words. Participants must focus on one of the three main categories – Culture and Heritage; Food and Street Food and Adventures and submissions, and it can include photos and a video. The participants should submit their entries through the official website www.visitsharjah.com for …

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) joins the tourism delegation from the UAE led by the Ministry of Economy to visit three Scandinavian cities as part of the ‘Visit UAE’ roadshow. The delegation comprising eight government officials, Emirates airlines and 29 representatives from the hotels and travel agencies across the UAE, is visiting Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen from September 17 to 21, 2018. SCTDA will showcase the enriching tourism experiences in Sharjah with its diverse culture and heritage to encourage more people from these cities to visit the emirate. Participating in the roadshow is one among the number of activities the authority intends to implement in the next couple of months to help drive tourism growth. The workshops to be held during the roadshow will provide a platform for SCTDA and the UAE delegation to strengthen partnerships with their counterparts in the Scandinavian cities. HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said: “The tourism sector is a major pillar in the UAE’s efforts in economic broadening, a key strategy for the country’s transition to the post-oil economy and the ‘Visit UAE’ roadshow will contribute in achieving this vision. Our country has continued to gain popularity across the world as a leading destination in the Middle East. We look forward to capitalising the opportunity to present our market offerings in these European cities and strategically position Sharjah as a destination of choice.”

To contribute to the ramped-up efforts in promoting Sharjah as a family tourism hub, Air Arabia and various hotels and travel agencies in the emirate have separately rolled out exclusive promotional deals during the ongoing, spectacular Sharjah Summer Festival organised by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Running until the end of August this year, the Festival’s first edition was launched to boost the domestic tourism sector as well as bolster local shopping and retail activities. Tourists and visitors can grab exclusive hotel offers and price discounts in numerous popular entertainment and cultural activities during the Festival. In line with the festival, special family-themed events will be held, along with kids summer camps and cultural workshops. Additionally, hotel facilities will also be offering up to 50 per cent reductions in room rates. Air Arabia is also offering attractive offers covering its key flights and services. As for hotel establishments, Radisson Blu Hotel provides 15 per cent discounts on hotel reservations, spa, restaurants, and many other exciting recreational and leisure activities, while Sheraton Sharjah Resort and Spa offers 20 to 50 per cent discounts on hotel room bookings, wedding halls, spa rooms and restaurants. Similarly, the Oceanic Resort & Spa and Marbella Resort give up to 25 per cent discount on website bookings. “We extend our gratitude to all participating government agencies, private institutions, travel agencies, leisure facilities, and retail stores. By offering promotional offers and special discounts as part of the Festival’s celebration, they are significantly contributing to our efforts to increase tourist arrivals to the emirate and diversify our tourist activities,” said SCTDA Chairman Khalid Jasim Al Midfa.

Following the success of the Sharjah Summer Campaign last year, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced the details of the first edition of the Sharjah Summer Festival. Set to kick-start on July 11, 2018, the festival will further boost SCTDA’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the tourism sector as part of the government’s bid to attract 10 million visitors to the emirate’s shores by 2021. Organised by SCTDA in cooperation with entities from the government and private sector, the festival will run a series of entertainment and cultural activities to promote local tourism and highlight the emirate’s cultural and tourist attractions and diversified recreational facilities during the summer season. In addition, the festival seeks to attract residents and visitors through its creative marketing campaigns and various promotions to boost Sharjah’s world-class status as one of the great destinations for family holidays. H E Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA said, “The festival will promote Sharjah’s tourism, cultural and amusing events, revitalise several tourism campaigns; and diversify its leisure activities to attract international visitors. It is also part of our strategy to underline our attractions to the GCC market which remains one of our largest source markets.” According to Midfa, the event is going to play a major role in transforming Sharjah into an important center of culture, heritage and arts in the region.

As part of the ongoing efforts to meet Sharjah’s target of 10 million tourists by 2021, a group of government and private organisations from the emirate led by Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) travelled to Shanghai to join this year’s edition of  ITB China taking place from May 16 to May 18, 2018. China is a key tourism market for Sharjah, which has received a total of 120,356 hotel guests in 2017 from the world’s most populous nation. The delegates will comprise top officials from, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency, Air Arabia, Cozmo Travel, Golden Tulip Hotel Apartments, Hilton Hotel Sharjah, Ramada Hotel Sharjah, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa, and Trav Talk Middle East. “ITB China will play a key role in our initiatives to promote Sharjah as an ideal family-friendly destination worldwide, with China being one of our target international markets. At SCTDA, we are hoping to attract as many as 200,000 Chinese visitors by 2021 and we are already working particularly hard to make this happen. Joining the interactive ITB China is one of our strategies towards this end,” said HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman SCTDA. “Recently, the UAE announced granting Chinese visitors with visas on arrival – a move that will further boost our efforts. ITB China is an exceptional platform to create awareness of this privilege as well as capitalize on the enormous Chinese outbound travel market and further enhance the opportunity to strengthen our bilateral tourism cooperation with the country,”Al Midfa added.