May 3 – Tourism in Sharjah is expected to grow by five per cent this year after 9 percent growth in the second half of 2009, said Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmad Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). Al Qassimi, addressing the gathering at the Sharjah Tourism Excellence Awards 2009, stated "Contrary to statistics issued by the World Tourism Organisation which estimated a growth of three to four per cent for tourism in 2010 as compared to the figures of 2009, the number of tourists coming to Sharjah in the second half of 2009 showed nine per cent growth. Further, we confidently predict a growth of five per cent this year.”
Sharjah is slated to hold a number of tourist events and is seeking the participation of different organisations, he added. Meanwhile Mohammed Ali Al Noman, Director of SCDTA, said that the implementation of the Hotel Classification Law – which came into effect from January 2008 – has significantly contributed to enhancing the performance of Sharjah’s hotels and serviced apartments. "The classification law will lead the hotel sector into a new era of progress and provide a quality leap in the emirate’s tourism sector,” he said.
