SHARJAH prepares for WTM London 2016
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is preparing to participate in the prestigious World Travel Market (WTM), taking place in London on November 7-9, 2016. In the lead-up to the event, the Authority can look back on a successful year as 2016 enters its final trimester.
As it holds its 37th instalment, WTM London has become an unrivalled must-attend event for any entity with stake in the travel and tourism sector. The travel market draws in upwards of 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers, and international press, while generating more than £2.5 billion ($3.24 billion) in travel industry contracts.
WTM tackles several pressing issues that are of great concern to stakeholders in the international travel and tourism market. Notable events on the calendar this year include a Buyers’ Speed Networking event; a session on eTourism and the disrupting innovations that are creating opportunities and challenges in the tourism and hospitality industry; as well as a number of awards, including the World Tourism Awards, the World Travel Leaders Awards, and the Global Sport Tourism Awards, among others.
Seeking to solidify the emirate’s place on the touristic map and further promote it as a diverse year-round destination, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority will be introducing the audience at the fair to its calendar of events boasting cultural affairs such as Sharjah International Book Fair, Sharjah Heritage Days, and Sharjah Art Biennial, the world-famous Sharjah Light Festival, and sports events including the final race of the U.I.M. F1H2O World Championship, and the Aquabike World Championship grand prix.
Moreover, the Authority will introduce attendees to the new additions to its already rich touristic offering – this includes Sharjah International Airport’s expansion, the additions to the famed
Al Majaz waterfront, and the inauguration of a new 12-square-kilometre wildlife reserve – Al Hefaiyah Mountain Conservation Centre – on the emirate’s east coast. The reserve is now home to the critically endangered Arabian leopard (panthera pardus nimr). Not to mention the historic Mleiha archaeological site, where excavations unearthed multi-chambered tombs where horses and camels were laid to rest by their masters’ sides, in addition to buildings ranging from small houses to a multipurpose fort.
The emirate has had a streak of achievements thus far in 2016. For one, SCTDA was named the secondbest exhibitor from the Middle East at ITB Berlin 2016, while the emirate’s flagship Light Festival – now in its sixth year – had its best instalment yet, attracting more than 650,000 visitors during 10 days of the event.
What is more, international cruise liner MS Europa 2 arrived at the Khorfakkan Port with more than 500 tourists on board, underlining Sharjah’s position as a key cruise tourism destination in the region. Khorfakkan Port will be welcoming the first cruise for 2016-2017 season “Mein Schiff 3” on December 10, followed by 27 calls by 5 cruise lines (TUI Cruises, MSC Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Thomson Cruises, P & O Cruises) with an estimated number of 66,300 passengers on board.
Sharjah has seen growth in the number of visitors from several key markets. Bookings coming from China, for instance, witnessed a whopping 73.2 per cent increase in numbers in H1 2016 – the number of Asian tourists, overall, grew by a whopping 12 per cent to reach 207,645 during the same period, making Asia the second-largest source market for Sharjah. The GCC remained the largest source market for Sharjah with 219,264 visitors in the first six months of 2016, while Europe – coming in third place – sent 180,768 tourists in H1 2016.
As the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) continues to build on the momentum it has successfully created for the emirate’s travel and tourism the Authority’s 14th participation in the global WTM exhibition promises to further solidify the emirate’s status as a culture and tourism capital in the region.