Tag Archives: Sharjah tourism

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in collaboration with Sea Going Green, American University of Sharjah (AUS) and Manbat, a platform founded by Arada to facilitate stronger ties between Emirati farmers and consumers. The signing took place during Sharjah International Travel and Tourism Forum 2024 (SITTF) to consolidate support and efforts for the Carbon Reduction Initiative, and to highlight the importance and impact of sustainable development on UAE and global sustainability goals. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA; Amit Arora, Chief Operating Officer of Arada; Aleksandra (Ally) Dragozet, Founder & CEO of Sea Going Green, and Dr Steven Griffiths, Vice Chancellor for Research in AUS signed the MoU during SITTF that took place in Sharjah Expo Centre. The Carbon Reduction Initiative aims to pilot innovative food waste recovery and composting solutions within the tourism and hospitality sector, integrating cutting-edge technologies like blockchain-based carbon credit tracking to achieve measurable carbon reductions and support Sharjah’s sustainability goals. These announcements mark a pivotal advancement in SCTDA’s sustainability strategy, underscoring Sharjah’s leadership in sustainable tourism. The collaboration with esteemed partners enhances the credibility and scalability of these initiatives, ensuring that key messages emphasize SCTDA’s innovation, partnerships, and alignment with UAE and global sustainability goals.

In a special interview with TravelTVMiddlee East, HE Khaled Jassim Al Midfa –  Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority shared that the United Arab Emirates 2031 vision is doubling the number of hotel guests by the year 2031 from 20 million to 40 million. And relatively the contribution to the economy from 200 billion dirhams to 450 billion dirhams by 2031. HE Midfa reiterated, “today we launched the 11th edition of the Sharjah International Travel and Tourism Forum. And this forum every year as we see, we have a big group of international speakers as well as local entities from both the government and the private sector. We discuss the main topics that are very important to the sustainability of the tourism sector. This is a vital sector that contributes to more than 10% of the international GDP. And it’s really important that we see how our country, the United Arab Emirates, is focusing on developing the infrastructure and developing all the other aspects that are within the ecosystem of tourism such as hospitality, adventure tourism, attractions, infrastructure, airport development, airline expansion programs and plans. This is really important for us and we launched also the United Arab Emirates 2031 vision which is doubling the number of hotel guests by the year 2031 from 20 million to 40 million. And relatively we have the contribution to the economy from 200 billion dirhams to 450 billion dirhams by 2031. So we see how this is a main and vital sector and how the government of the United Arab Emirates has given it a lot of importance and has a lot of scope for development. In Sharjah as well, under the …

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has successfully concluded its participation in the 43rd World Travel Market (WTM) in London. The three-day event, which attracted thousands of professionals from the global travel and tourism industry, helped SCTDA to reinforce Sharjah’s position as a rapidly growing destination for international tourists. WTM 2024 provided SCTDA with a prime platform to highlight its diverse and rich tourism offerings to a diverse audience of industry professionals, particularly those from Europe, which represents a significant and growing tourism market for Sharjah. His Excellency Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, highlighted the strategic importance of the EU market to Sharjah’s tourism ambitions. “With almost 350,000 European tourists visiting Sharjah this year, which accounts for 7% increase from last year this shows that the Europe continues to be a vital market for us. We anticipate even stronger growth by the end of 2024, driven by our active engagement in platforms such as WTM.” At a well-attended press conference held at WTM on November 7, SCTDA unveiled significant advancements in the emirate’s tourism infrastructure alongside new hospitality projects that promise to enhance Sharjah’s appeal as a destination of choice for cultural, leisure, and adventure tourism. Key highlights included the Sharjah Safari, the largest safari park outside Africa, and the Moon Retreat, an innovative desert glamping experience, which offers a new concept and style of accommodation experiences amidst nature. “Sharjah Tourism” will also highlight the natural and topographical diversity that characterizes Sharjah’s tourism product, ranging from cultural, leisure, environmental, and beach experiences to adventures, alongside hotel accommodation experiences. These projects underscore the emirate’s commitment to expanding its offerings and products in the fields of eco and adventure …

Speaking with Travel TV Middle East, H E Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Authority shared that at the Arabian Travel Market one of the key programmes to be promoted is the special tour guide license which would be awarded to those who complete the course ensuring that all modules are covered. The courses range from beginners to advance and also renewal tour guide programmes during the ATM and it will continue during the year. If the modules are completed at ATM, then the certification can be received within a period of four hours. Chairman, SCTDA reiterated, “As we mark our 24th participation at the Arabian Travel Market alongside 23 public and private entities representing the emirate, SCTDA’s commitment to innovation and sustainability within Sharjah’s tourism sector remains unwavering. The emirate stands out as a pioneer in the travel industry, embracing a comprehensive approach that includes significant progress in infrastructure development, the launch of authentic tourism and leisure destinations, and dedicated efforts to preserve cultural and historical treasures. Sustainability practices lie at the heart of these endeavors, driving forward an eco-friendly emirate. In line with ATM’s theme of ‘Empowering Innovation – Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship,’ we are dedicated to reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit of Sharjah in the tourism sector, fostering opportunities for individuals to craft unique travel experiences that are eco-conscious, sustainable, and innovative. The emirate’s entrepreneurial environment fosters groundbreaking initiatives across all sectors, with the tourism industry fully embracing this commitment.”

Sharjah tourism and development authority shared that the emirate of Sharjah has witnessed growth in terms of visitors due to its great developments, infrastructure and most importantly sports tourism. Speaking at the press conference Chairman Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Authority HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa shared that this week of starts in Sharjah will be an opportunity to showcase its rich offerings not only as a family tourisistic destination but also as a sporting and adventure tourism hub. This week will feature friendly football matches to paddle tennis matches to develop sports tourism. 24 football legends will be a key highlight during this week as they will expose the rich heritage and sporting tourism infrastructure of Sharjah to both local and international travellers. There will be 3 different events – paddle tennis, football and footgolf and stars week until the end of this week. Last year there were over 120 players from 20 countries giving Sharjah exposure at the first footgolf tournament.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairman of Sharjah Executive Council, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced the 10th edition of the Sharjah International Travel & Tourism Forum (SITTF) scheduled to take place on November 22nd at the Expo Centre Sharjah. Held under the theme “Sustainable Tourism: The Way to Improvement”, the forum will gather experts from the travel and tourism industry, emphasising environmentally and socially responsible travel practices through a series of panel discussions and engaging workshops to further delve into the challenges and opportunities within the travel and tourism sector. The anticipated forum is set to feature notable keynote speakers, welcoming the likes of HE Abdalla bin Touq Al Marri, the UAE’s Minister of Economy, HE Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, SCTDA Chairman, HE Dr. Nawal Al Hosany, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and representatives from the “Global Sustainable Tourism Council” (GSTC). Aligned with the UAE’s commitment to environmental conservation in the “Year of Sustainability,” SITTF aims to play a key role in implementing this vision, which is underscored by the nation’s hosting “COP28” event later in the year. The forum will delve into the essence of sustainable tourism, through creating a platform for experts to explore key topics, including sustainable and eco-tourism practices, strategies to mitigate and minimise negative impacts on the ecosystem, and the exploration of benefits for local communities both economically and socially. Additionally, the event will cover trends and innovations in sustainable tourism, economic benefits, and technology’s role. It will emphasise collaboration among various stakeholders to achieve sustainability goals …

Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority launched a new service at the opening day of Gitex 2023 with a special platform titled, “sustain Sharjah”. In a special interview with HE Khalid Jassim Al Midfa Chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority shared, “we carried out a soft launch of our “sustain Sharjah” platform which encourages and helps our partners and stakeholders from the public and private sectors to use and to benefit, to calculate, monitor and assess their carbon footprint of their businesses and learn about the resources available to help them make and save money at the same time save the environment.”

At ITB Berlin 2023, Sharjah has showcased a captivating vision of the present and future of tourism. Led by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), the emirate’s innovatively designed pavilion at the event powered by latest digital technologies was a popular hive of activity and business networking for three days, offering visitors a vivid experience of Sharjah’s leading tourist attractions spanning its stunning diverse natural and manmade landscapes. SCTDA led a delegation of 15 public and private entities, tourist office representatives and travel agencies from Sharjah, who presented emerging investment opportunities in tourism to visiting business professionals, industry leaders and potential partners, in a series of meetings. At the event’s various discussion forums, the Sharjah delegation representatives also turned the spotlight on the efforts and innovations in the sectors of sustainable tourism, eco-tourism, adventure and cultural tourism driven by their efforts. Over the years, Sharjah has emerged as one of the regional leaders in these sectors, which are playing a major role in promoting and preserving socio-economic history and our natural environment. Sharjah’s stunningly diverse natural beauty characterised by pristine beaches, rugged mountainous terrain – all enriched by the town’s unique cultural heritage come together to offer tourists and visitors several opportunities to explore. In recent years, these opportunities have expanded considerably through the hosting of cultural events, new adventure tourism and water sport activities, the opening of luxury hospitality destinations as well as heritage attractions, which all contributed to Khorfakkan winning the prestigious award – an acknowledgement of the coastal town’s dedication to promoting sustainable tourism options and providing exceptional experiences to residents, visitors and tourists. From experiential virtual tours of emerging touristic assets like the Sharjah …

Opening the press conference at the Sharjah tourism pavilion, H.E Khalid Jassim Al Midfa, “welcome to the Sharjah stand. We are very happy to be back here at World Travel Market, as you know it is very important for us to showcase what is new in the destination and the good news is that we have so many new different products and experiences in Sharjah. Fortunately, during the covid period we were able to develop many new projects, we are announcing some of them today and within the next two years we will be launching more projects. The most important elements today or the additions are adventure and eco- tourism. As you know Sharjah is the cultural hub in the Arab world and have been recognised an awarded many times by UNESCO. In addition, we host many events the popular one the power boat racing event for the past 20 years and the Sharjah national book fair, the largest book fair in the world and the Sharjah Lights festival to name a few. Today, myself and my colleagues from both government and private sector will be sharing a brief about products and experiences that have been introduced to enhance the emirate’s touristic and overall infrastructure, given the fact that the sector is a major contributor to the national economy. We are very happy to have you here, as through yourselves whichever field you work under the general tourism umbrella, we will get the right audience, the right reach, the right exposure so thank you once again for being here.” HE Midfa reiterated, “Ladies and gentlemen there is so much to see when you are in Sharjah, our slogan is smile …

The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced its participation in the World Travel Market 2022 (WTM), which brings together 51,000 industry professionals from the travel and tourism industry in the British capital from 7-9 November. Through its participation SCTDA will further its strategic goals of promoting the emirate as a popular travel destination on prestigious global events. The entity is leading a delegation of 17 public and private sector entities, namely, Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA), Sharjah International Airport, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF), Expo Centre Sharjah, Sharjah Institute for Heritage, Sharjah Sports Council, Sharjah Old Cars Club, Sharjah Airport Travel Agency (SATA), Sharjah National Hotels, Golden Sands Hotel, The Chedi Al Bait Hotel, Al Badayer Retreat by Mysk, Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa, Coral Beach Resort Sharjah,COSMO Travel, and TravTalk. These entities will showcase their latest developments across the emirate, including key projects taking shape in key sectors of tourism, leisure, heritage, culture, sports and hospitality, along with the steps they are taking to preserve Sharjah’s rich biodiversity and cultural heritage. Through their participation, SCTDA will also highlight its new developments and projects, tourism offerings and services, staycation options and hotel establishments across the emirate. Sharjah’s pavilion at WTM 2022, managed by SCTDA, will serve as a nexus for  potential businesses, investors, travel professionals as well as visitors and tourists in Europe to look into their areas of interest and learn more new and emerging prospects in Sharjah’s vibrant travel and tourism market. It will also serve as a platform for networking and exchanging experiences, sharing best practices as well as envisioning a way forward for a sustainable and …