THE EUROPEAN COUNTRIES IN GENERAL AND RUSSIA, IN PARTICULAR, FOR THE LAST YEARS, BECAME THE LARGEST TOURIST MARKETS FOR THE EMIRATE OF SHARJAH, WHICH ALSO CALLED THE CULTURAL CAPITAL OF THE ARABIAN. TRAVELERS WILL BE ENCOURAGED BY PURE GOLDEN BEACHES, GORGEOUS MONUMENTS AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE OBJECTS, AND ALSO A HIGH SECURITY OF RESIDENCE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY. IT IS THESE INDICATORS OF THE GUARDS OF SHARJA ALLOCATE AS ITS MAIN ADVANTAGES.
On the role of the Russian market for the emirate, as well as on the prospects for its development and new offers for travelers, His Excellency Muhammad Ali Al Numan, Chairman of the Department of Commerce and Tourism Development of Sharjah, spoke in an exclusive interview to our publication.
Your Excellency, please tell us how you assess the growth of tourism in Sharjah over the past five years? What are the most significant hospitality projects? And which are under construction today?
We note the fact that the tourism industry in Sharjah is in a stage of sustainable growth. We keep up with the latest global trends and practices in the hospitality industry and today have become widely known in the international market. The emirate annually attracts, on average, about 1.5 million tourists. Most of them come from Russia and European countries, as well as from neighboring Gulf states. In recent years, we have commissioned an impressive number of hotels, shopping centers, and implemented significant cultural projects. I am talking primarily about the "Water Festival", "Festival of Light" and "Sharjah Biennale." Today, the emirate offers a choice of more than 100 hotels and hotel apartments, the total fund of which exceeds 9,000 rooms. And we do not stop there.
So, several large projects are under development. This year we presented Al Majaz Waterfront embankment to residents and guests of the emirate, work on the Sharjah Heart project continues. I would also like to mention three more very ambitious projects on the east coast of the emirate: the luxury spa resort of Korfakkan, the development of Al Hishn Island and the eco-tourism project in the town of Kalba. Their total value is about 1 billion dirhams (US $ 273 million).
As your department informed earlier, in 2011, more than 200 thousand Russian tourists visited Sharjah. Do you plan to improve these indicators this year? What hotels and entertainment attract our compatriots to this emirate?
Yes, indeed, over the past few years, we have maintained special relations with Russia, and the tourist flow from this region is constantly growing. As I said, we have two absolute leaders - Russia and Europe. First of all, we offer our international guests a safe stay in a friendly, almost family atmosphere. Of course, we hope to attract even more European and Russian tourists in the coming months and years. Now our airline Air Arabia flies in Russia along three routes. We have beautiful hotels and resorts. The next "hit" that we are ready to offer to the market is the beauty of our east coast.
How do you plan to increase the tourist flow? Are you planning to reconstruct the international airport, expand the route network of carriers?
We invite our guests to visit our vibrant and wonderful cultural events. I already mentioned the Water Festival and the Festival of Light, which attract a large number of foreign visitors. We are working on the development of hospitality infrastructure. Of course, the expansion of Sharjah International Airport will facilitate the introduction of new direct flights. Our best helper - the low-cost airline Air Arabia - is constantly growing on its own and helps to develop tourism for us. In addition, it is not worth mining that the Dubai International Airport is located in close proximity to our resorts.
What can you say about the development of ecological and cruise tourism as separate sectors of the economy?
Caring for the environment has always been and remains one of the priorities of the leadership of the emirate. I already mentioned three large-scale projects that will become the sights of our east coast - the Korfakkan resort, new projects in the town of Kalba and on the island of Hishn. This is not only about the development of a new destination for travelers, but also about the preservation of our unique natural heritage.
As for cruise tourism, it has become one of the main activities in the tourism sector of Sharjah over the past few years. Korfakkan port on the east coast attracts tens of thousands of tourists. This year, thanks to international cruise lines, we plan to cross the threshold of 100 thousand guests, whom we will receive “from the sea”. New hotels and resorts will help us to increase the tourist flow to this region even more.
Please tell us about the preparations for the events of 2014, which will be held under the slogan "Sharjah - the capital of Islamic culture"?
Yes, we are very proud of this title - the capital of Arab and Islamic culture. It was assigned to Sharjah in 1998 by the United Nations, and the Organization of Cooperation of Islamic States decided to hold large-scale celebrations in 2014. And in ordinary years, we hold many events dedicated to Arab culture and Islamic heritage, but for 2014 we hope to form a truly extensive and interesting program of special events.
What can you say about the development of the event tourism sector? Which congress, exhibition and cultural events are planned before the end of this year? Which of these can you recommend for business travelers?
Almost half of all industrial production in the United Arab Emirates is based in Sharjah, which makes it an international center for business tourism. So, a third of the population of the emirate are entrepreneurs. One of the first we began to hold regional and international events in our Expocenter. Among the most notable are the International Book Fair, the International Exhibition of Educational Services, the Middle East Jewelery Exhibition, the Russia-Arab World Business Forum, the International Automobile Exhibition and the Chinese Goods Fair. As for sporting events, the undisputed hit of the season will be the stage of the Formula 1 World Championships, which will be held in December. This event promises to be truly spectacular, and, as far as I know, Russian pilots also take part in these races. Mr. Al Numan, thank you for the conversation and wish you success in the development of the tourism sector.
