Sharjah hotel revenue up by 7% in 2016

The emirate of Sharjah has registered a seven per cent increase in hotel revenues, reaching AED 378 million ($103m) during the first six months of 2016 according to the latest figures from Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The authority has been targeting markets identified in its strategic marketing plan and says that H1 2016 hotel statistics show a 19 per cent increase from those markets, compared with H1 2015. A total of 878,006 visitors booked accommodation in Sharjah during the first half of 2016, compared with about one million visitors registered during the first half of 2015. Sharjah guests stayed a total number of 1.99 million hotel nights from January 1 to June 30, 2016

China is now Sharjah’s fastest growing tourism market. The SCDTA has recently stepped up marketing efforts in China, opening up a representative office, recruiting Chinese staff and adding a Chinese language website to Sharjah’s tourism portal. The emirate saw a 78 per cent increase in Chinese visitors during 2015 and, this year, has seen a 73.2 per cent increase in Chinese tourist numbers during the first six months. Overall, the largest numbers of visitors during the first six months of this year came from the GCC which accounted for nearly 220,000 hotel guests or about 25 per cent of the total. Asia provided the second largest source of tourists, showing a 12 per cent increase compared to H1 2015. Meanwhile, 180,768 registered Sharjah hotel guests came from Europe, accounting for about 21 per cent of the total.