Tag Archives: SCTDA

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.”

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.” …

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.

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 …

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 …