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Sharjah hotel revenues up 7pc in H1

SHARJAH, August 8, 2016

Sharjah's hotels saw revenues jump up 7 per cent during the first half of the year, reaching Dh378 million ($102.8 million) compared to the same period in 2015, said a report.

According to a statement released by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), visitor numbers for the first six months of this year rose 19 per cent compared to the same period in 2015. The authority, however, did not give the actual visitor number, the Gulf News reported

China topped the list of tourist source markets that showed strong growth, with a 73.2 per cent increase in visitor numbers from the country in the first six months of this year. The authority is continuing to focus effort on this market and expects further increases over the following year due to a new overseas office, Chinese staff, and strategic online marketing in the region, the report said.

The effect of new flight routes to Pakistan has also had a positive effect on numbers of visitors travelling from the region, with a 10.3 per cent increase in hotel guests during the first half of 2016. The number of Asian tourists grew by 12 per cent making Asia the second-largest source market for Sharjah, just behind the GCC which sent nearly 220,000 visitors in the first half.

Anticipated increase

Other tourist source markets included Europe and Russia, with the number of Russian visitors going up 1.8 per cent in H1, as well as non-GCC Arab countries, which sent a quarter of a million guests.

The number of African tourists in the emirate rose 2 per cent in the January-to-June period.

Sharjah aims to attract 10 million visitors by 2021. And, to cater to the anticipated increase in demand, boost hotel room numbers from 10,000 in 2015 to 15,000 by 2021.

The emirate recorded a total of 1.79 million guests in 2015 and SCTDA expects that figure to grow by 3-5 per cent this year.




Tags: hotel | Sharjah | growth | Revenue |

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