The UAE emirate of Sharjah is preparing to receive a high volume of Gulf tourists this summer, said a top official.

His optimism follows a recent GCC Promotional Road Show, organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), which attracted hundreds of travel and tourism companies throughout the GCC to special workshops. 

The sixth of its kind, the road show was held from May 19 to 29 and visited six Gulf destinations with the intention of promoting the emirate and marketing its summer promotional offers.

Impressive attendance at all of the workshops showed the high level of interest in Sharjah, among Gulf tourists looking for an ideal place to spend the summer this year.

The Road Show, which was part of SCTDA's ongoing effort to revitalize its tourism sector and consolidate regional cooperation in promoting the emirate as an ideal tourist destination with a distinct cultural heritage, took into account six Gulf destinations, including the capitals of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Dammam, Al Riyadh and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The delegation was made up of SCTDA officials as well as representatives from Qanat Al Qasba, Radisson SAS Resort, Millennium Hotel, Embassy Suites, Sharjah National Hotels Group and the Holiday Inn.

At the end of this road show, Mohamed A Al Noman, director-general of the SCTDA stressed its importance, pointing to the great number of visitors from travel and tourism companies in the GCC that were introduced to Sharjah Summer Promotions 2007. 
He said: “What distinguished this promotional road show was that it has directly preceded the imminent launch of Sharjah Summer Promotion 2007, which will run from 19 June to 29 August and include events and discounts and offers to encourage shopping activity during the summer”.

He added: “GCC countries are the most important sources of tourists to the Emirate of Sharjah, with more than a quarter of a million gulf tourists visiting Sharjah last year.

“For this reason, every year, the SCTDA organises promotional road shows in different GCC countries with an aim to attract more tourists to the emirate, which has a reputation as an ideal family tourist destination.

'SCTDA is willing to support and participate in the economic progress of Sharjah through strong marketing and promotional campaigns, with a focus on the uniqueness of our city and its intricate blend of the past and the future.

“Sharjah's commercial sector is rapidly developing and has witnessed, so far this year, the opening of a great number of shopping malls and hotels, and more hotels are to be opened later this year, which will surely enrich the tourism sector,' said Al Noman. 

Sharjah is considered one of the primary destinations in region for Gulf tourists, with SCTDA statistics demonstrating that they ranked first last year in terms of number of tourists to the emirate.

In 2006, Gulf tourists accounted for 30 per cent of the total number of tourists who visited the emirate, with numbers reaching 250 thousand.

The largest number of  came from KSA, with 90 thousand tourists, followed by 50 thousand from Kuwait, 25 thousand from Qatar, and 20,000 from Bahrain. These numbers confirm the importance of this market segment and the need to continue to encourage Gulf residents to visit the emirate.

This approach is expected to further augment Sharjah's tourism sector, where tourism facilities are continuously developing, which broaden its appeal to tourists from all over the world.

At a time when the Emirate of Sharjah is now being recognized on the world tourism map, SCTDA hopes to continue attracting international, regional and local interest, through a variety of activities and events.

Judging from the success of earlier road shows, which are still benefiting the Emirate, it is certain that this Gulf promotional road, whic