Tag Archives: Sharjah

Emirates Holidays has partnered up with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to become the official tour operator for the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. The 17th edition of the continent’s prestigious football tournament will take place in the United Arab Emirates between January 5, 2019 and February 1, 2019.  Through the partnership, Emirates Holidays offers a broad range of excellent value packages to football fans traveling to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah to support their teams. Each package includes match ticket(s), accommodation and return flights with Emirates Airline. Robin Parry, Vice President, Emirates Holidays, said, “We are thrilled to become the official tour operator of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019. Starting from today, supporters can seamlessly book match ticket, flight and accommodation with Emirates Holidays and enjoy the excellent travel experience our award-winning airline and reputable hotel partners offer. We see exciting opportunities for the company in sport tourism and continue to seek ways to accommodate the growing demand. We look forward to welcoming our football fan customers in the UAE.” Dato’ Windsor John, General Secretary, Asian Football Confederation, said, “Asian football continues to make giant strides on the world stage and the remarkable growth and stature of the AFC Asian Cup exemplifies the undeniable progress of football in the Continent. Emirates have been a long-standing partner of the AFC and we would like to thank them for their firm belief in the development and ever-improving proposition of Asian football.

Air Arabia has announced the introduction of its new European destination, Prague in Czech Republic, direct from Sharjah. Air Arabia’s inaugural flight to the city will commence on December 11, 2018. The 6 hour 50-minute flight will operate five times per week, every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesdays and Sundays, the flight will depart Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 08:00 hours and arrive at Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG) at 11:50 hours, and on the return leg, the flight will depart from PRG at 12:35 hours and land at SHJ at 21:40 local time. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the departing flight with leave from Sharjah at 15:30 hours and arrive in Prague at 19:20 hours; the return flight will depart Prague at 21:05 and arrive in Sharjah the following morning at 06:10 hours. Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia, said, “With the launch of the Sharjah to Prague route, we aim to offer our passengers the chance to discover the colorful and historic capital city, our newest destination in Europe to be available direct from the UAE.” A historic city famed for its Old Town Square and elaborately constructed Baroque buildings, Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic and one of the most popular touristic destinations in Europe.

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.

As Sharjah drives towards welcoming 10 million tourists by 2021, the retail tourism sector is being developed by Majid Al Futtaim. The latest family lifestyle and entertainment tourism destination is the Sharjah City Center which was refurbished and expanded with a cost of over AED 260 million to a spacious 51,000 plus sq ft. area housing over 23 new brands, unique cinematic experience with Michelin chef served menus and 1400 plus new parking slots. “We work very closely with hotels, agents and Sharjah tourism to ensure that we present a good retail tourism destination which could attract tourists from all over the world. We are constantly working towards reimagining the retail and leisure landscape to meet the evolving demands of our discerning shoppers and retain our position as their preferred shopping destination in Sharjah. The new, revitalised City Centre Sharjah is a result of valuable feedback from our long-standing customers who seek trendy international brands, exciting F&B concepts that appease a plethora of tastes and a destination where they can spend hours with their loved ones enjoying the wide variety of entertainment options,” said Fuad Mansoor Sharaf, Managing Director for Majid Al Futtaim Properties, Shopping Malls (UAE, Bahrain & Oman). The mall has been redesigned with a skylight roof to allow for more natural light and spacious storefronts that extends a fresh and contemporary feel to make every visit pleasurable. Keeping accessibility and convenience of shoppers at the heart of the project, City Centre Sharjah has revamped the carpark with 1,426 parking bays and easy entry and exit routes close to the mall’s anchor stores.

Several major announcements were made on the progress of investments to Sharjah recently. It was announced that His Excellency Marwan bin Jassim Al Serkal, was entrusted the position of Executive Chairman of Shurooq under the Emiri deree by His Highness Sheikh Dr.Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council; Ruler of Sharjah. Al Serkal has been one of the key leaders in Sharjah’s tourism industry growth and has contributed immensely over the period he served as Chief Executive Officer from 2009 to mid- 2018. Under his leadership and vision at Shurooq, Al Serkal has actively diversified the emirate’s tourism sector by developing the eco-tourism in Kalba, beach tourism in Khorfakkan, cultural tourism in the city of Sharjah with attractions like Al Qasba destination, Al Majaz waterfront, Flag island and Al Maraya art center. He stated, “We are attracting and focusing on developing investments for Sharjah, making it a hub for investors to diversify the economy of the emirate of Sharjah. During the past few months Shurooq signed a few MOUs for high end tourism development.” Some of them are Palace in Al Khan beach, boutique hotel in the cultural district and the island development project. As Sharjah is on its way to receiving 10 million tourists by 2021, Shurooq is entrusted with obtaining more investments to develop the emirate of Sharjah. His Excellency Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qassimi, member of the Executive council of Sharjah and Executive Chairman of the department of government Relations, Chairman of Sharjah Supreme committee for digitalization stated that by 2019, Sharjah will be a data driven nation by digitalizing 90 per cent.

Qabala will be the second destination in Azerbaijan to be served by Air Arabia from June 27, 2018. Air Arabia currently serves Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan with daily flights. The flight will operate three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, departing Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 13:00 hours and arriving at Qabala International Airport (GBB) at 16:10 hours local time. The return flight will depart Qabala at 17:15 hours, landing in Sharjah at 19:50 hours local time. Featuring a moderate climate and a mountainous landscape, Qabala is a destination of choice for travellers looking to spend their summer closer to nature. The city caters to all, offering everything from entertainment at amusement parks to guided walks, through the heart of its untouched forest lands.  Air Arabia currently operates flights to 133 routes across the globe from five hubs located in the Middle East and North Africa.

With ecotourism spots located in the central region, Sharjah is steadily improving its development and public infrastructure projects in the area. A new shopping mall has been opened in the town of Al Madam on the Dubai-Hatta road, just 20 minutes away from the famous Mleiha ecotourism centre. All 27 retail units at Al Badayer Shopping Mall have been leased, although the facility is being opened to the public in two phases. Phase two of the mall is expected to be opened in February 2018, which will be dominated by a large camping equipment, sporting goods and outdoor supplies retailer. Sharjah’s retail sector is currently enjoying a period of strong growth, with more than 4 million square feet of new mall space expected to be added to the sector by 2020. Projects include the expansion of existing shopping malls in Sharjah, two new mega-malls outside the city area, plus local shopping centres in the emirate’s central and eastern regions. The Government of Sharjah is currently implementing a 25 year strategic development plan for its central region, which includes the towns of Al Dhaid, Mleiha and Al Madam. The plan aims to enhance the quality of life, prosperity and job opportunities for residents of region.

Air Arabia is set to introduce flights to Sheremetyevo International Airport from February 1, 2018, boosting the flight to serve the Russian capital with a double daily frequency. The flight complements the airline’s existing daily services to Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport. The flight will operate four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, departing Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) at 09:10 hours, and arriving at Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) at 13:35 hours local time. The return flight will depart Sheremetyevo at 14:35 hours, landing in Sharjah at 20:45 hours local time. Air Arabia will upgrade to a daily Sheremetyevo flight from March 1, 2018, which will join the current daily flight to Domodedovo to serve Moscow with a double daily frequency.

Scheduled to open in mid-2020, the 233-key Anantara Sharjah Resort will be located on a prime beachfront location in Sharjah, approximately at a 15 minutes’ drive from Sharjah International Airport. The resort will offer a selection of accommodation options including Deluxe Rooms and Luxury Suites. Facilities will include multiple dining options with a specialty restaurant located on a pier, spa and wellness centre, a kids’ club, a swimming pool and a ballroom able to accommodate up to 540 guests for a banquet. Sharjah’s first Anantara resort marks a significant addition to the Emirate’s hospitality sector, which has seen impressive growth in recent years. The Anantara Sharjah Resort is co-owned by Basma Group and ARADA, with the latter playing a developer management role in the delivery of the property. HE Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman, Basma Group and ARADA, said: “Anantara is one of the world’s most prestigious luxury hotel brands, and this new property marks yet another hospitality milestone for Sharjah. We’re looking forward to launching the resort in 2020, and delivering on our commitment to providing exceptional new destinations to tourists.”

The 4th Hospitality Industry Forum organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) was held in Sharjah on the theme ‘Continuous Innovation,’ highlighting the robust expansion of the emirate’s tourism sector from 2016 to 2017. The session featured three sessions titled ‘Sharjah Hospitality Results,’ ‘Key to a Successful Travel’ and Tourism Innovation,’ a panel discussion on ‘A Stairway Towards Innovative Marketing’ and two workshops titled ‘Investment in Human Capabilities’ and ‘Destination Competitiveness in an Innovative World.’ Local hospitality sector revenues witnessed a remarkable 7.8 per cent increase during the first half of 2017 compared with the previous year, reaching AED 372 million as the emirate steadily positions itself as a destination of choice for tourists. H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said, “Under the consistent guidance of H.H. Dr Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Ruler of Sharjah and Member of the UAE Supreme Council, the relentless efforts of Sharjah’s tourism sector have placed the emirate in the international tourism map and has brought success both at the regional and local levels by offering a world-class destination that represents the Arab cultural heritage as well as a family-friendly environment.”