AS SHARJAH continues to achieve high growth rates in its tourism, SHEIKH SULTAN BIN AHMED AL QASSIMI, chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) speaks to SHALU CHANDRAN about the emirate’s ongoing efforts in establishing itself as a distinguished heritage, cultural, tourist and family destination.
As the year comes to a close, how have visitor arrivals faired for the emirate?
Considering all the issues the industry has been through, we are very happy with tourism growth in Sharjah and we continue to grow. In the first half of 2010, 745,000 tourists visited the emirate, which was a significant increase of 11 per cent over 2009. Our hotels recorded an impressive 70 per cent occupancy rate.
This year Sharjah Summer Breaks proved very successful too. Our hotels offered a selection of holiday package options and July 2010 recorded an increase of 14 per cent in guests against the previous year. Summer this year was very successful with more than 30,000 visitors from the GCC market alone. Hotel nights saw an increase of 12 per cent.
Yes, several hotels did have to drop their room rates, but the main concern was occupancies. The various promotions and activities brought in more tourists and residents, looking to benefit from them.
Who are your key source markets and has this changed over the years?
Our biggest market continues to be Europe, which recorded 45 per cent of arrivals in the first half of 2010, followed closely by the GCC market (25 per cent) and Asia (14 per cent). We will continue our promotional activities in these key markets with our participation at ITB Asia and WTM. We are also looking at new markets like the Scandinavian and Norwegian markets as well as the CIS.
We are also keen to open a representative office in Singapore or Hong Kong to tap into the Asian markets.
What are the key attractions drawing guests to the emirate?
As a family-oriented destination, we cater to the Arab and Muslim lifestyle, making it easier for devout tourists from the GCC. Sharjah is also a hub of Islamic and Arab culture and heritage. It was recognised as the cultural capital of the Arab World in 1998 by Unesco and we have also been named the cultural capital of the Islamic world for 2014.
We continue to get Arab visitors who come to learn about their history and heritage. We have one of the largest heritage villages in the emirate with more than 20 museums and various heritage sites. Another key attraction is our recreation and leisure offerings, with a mix of modern shopping malls and ancient souks as well as 34 parks.
The east coast is also popular, with its rocky mountains, crystal clear waters for snorkelling and fossil rock for dune driving and camping.
All these attractions are equally popular with international tourists.
Sharjah as a brand focuses on five different things – heritage and culture, education, business travel, leisure and the east coast.
How much, if at all, was Sharjah set back by the global downturn? Has this affected your tourism targets for 2010-2011?
We were very clever about handling the global crisis. We did not jump into big projects, but focussed on certain projects with certain expected growth. Our hotel industry has remained resilient with a small decline of 11 per cent (from 80 per cent in 2008 to 69 per cent in 2009). However, we also witnessed a 14 per cent increase in hotel rooms last year, which was very encouraging.
So while there was some drop, it was minimal in comparison to other cities.
Culture and family tourism have been successful tourism products for the emirate. Looking ahead are there plans to introduce new products?
We are always looking at possibilities for new offerings. Next year we will launch the Sharjah Lights Festival in February. The festival is the first of its kind in the Middle East.
We also have the Sharjah Water festival, to coincide with the F1 Powerboat World Championships – Sharjah Grand Prix 2010 in December, this year we are looking to attract more visitors – especially families – with new initiatives combining education and entertainment.
We are also promoting Sharjah’s east coast, which has the potential to be a big draw for outdoor and adventure tourism. Khor Kalba is an important conservation area for endangered species which will soon be developed into a new tourist attraction on Sharjah’s east coast. Khor Kalba is also known as the breeding ground for the rare white-collared kingfisher. This also reflects the authority’s mission to deliver sustainable growth with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity to tourism.
SCTDA has been very active at international trade events and with roadshows over the years. How has this worked for the emirate?
It has always worked very well and has increased Sharjah’s attraction as a tourism destination with tangible results.
We participated at Moscow international Travel and Tourism (MITT) and witnessed more than 192,000 Russian arrivals between January and August 2010, an 11 per cent increase.
ITB Berlin has seen a 119 per cent increase in German tourists visiting Sharjah in the last five years.
Following TUR we received 17,000 Scandinavian tourists in 2009, a 47 per cent increase from 2008.
Further, road shows to Ukraine and Uzbekistan resulted in a 66 per cent increase in tourists from 2008. These numbers are a clear indication of the emirate’s growing reputation in the international markets.
What kind of brand recognition does the emirate have today in comparison to its neighbouring emirates?
We are recognised as one of the most vibrant, growing brands having won a number of awards at international events such as Leisure Moscow, Beijing International Tourism Expo and ITB Berlin. Sharjah has also been named the Capital of Islamic Culture in 2014.
What is on the agenda for SCTDA in 2011?
We will start the events with the Sharjah Lights Festival followed by a number of other key events such as the summer and Ramadan promotions, the F1 Powerboat Championships, Sharjah Heritage Day, Sharjah Theatre Day, spring promotions and the book fair, so it will be a very eventful year!
A major contributor to the Sharjah calendar of events is the department of culture, together we will have more than 3,000 events in the emirate. We will continue our promotional campaigns, road shows and participation in local regional and international events. We are also working with Al Qasba Development Authority to launch a new adventure camp in Kalba.
Another key aspect will be to increase and improve the quality of hotels in the emirate. A number of five-star hotels are in the pipeline and are expected to open over the next few years.
Looking at our inventory, we have plenty of three- and two-star hotels so want to focus on the development of the four- and five-stars in order to have a healthy balance. We have always promoted Sharjah as ‘something for everyone’ and so it is important to be able to cater to all markets. Sharjah has plans to open 4,000 hotel rooms over the next three years.