JEDDAH, 14 January 2004 — Sharjah, which recorded a 15 percent growth in tourist traffic in 2003 — 10 percent more than its target, has set higher targets for attracting tourists.
“We targeted a five percent rise in tourist traffic for 2003, but surprisingly ended up with 15 percent,” said Muhammad Ali Al-Noman, director of the Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority.
“Any regional problem may have an adverse impact on tourism, but our figures show that regional issues, such as Iraq, did not deter tourists from visiting Sharjah,” Al-Noman told Arab News here yesterday. “On the contrary, our inbound tourism remained steady or on the plus side during the third quarter of 2003,” he said.
“Our tourist figures for 2003 merely go to show the potential that Sharjah has. We’re focusing more on the Arab world, since the emirate, is still untapped in terms of its tourism potential. We believe the time is right for people to discover Sharjah for leisure as the government has developed the infrastructure, especially related to commerce and industry,” he said.
Al-Noman was accompanied by a team representing the emirate’s travel trade. It included Nayyar Ansari of Radisson SAS Resort, Iftikhar Hamdani of Coral Beach Resort, Hani Shahwan of Millennium Hotel and Nasser M. Nassef of Sharjah National Hotels.
“Sharjah has long coastlines and has always positioned itself as a safe, clean destination with leisure pursuits for the whole family,” Al-Noman said. “The family focus is a theme that runs through the city. Beaches are clean and safe and the nightlife is geared for the family,” he added.
Sharjah’s potential as a tourist attraction was recognized in 1998 when the emirate was chosen by UNESCO as cultural capital of the Arab world. “It was an official stamp of recognition that Sharjah was a living testament to art and heritage contained within a thriving metropolis,” Al-Noman said. Its appeal lies in a mix of the old and the new — 6,000 years of settlement plus the technology of an oil-producing state. For many GCC citizens, the emirate is an ideal getaway, combining beach, shopping and culture — all in a family-friendly environment, he said.
