The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) revealed that the emirate recorded a 3 per cent growth in the number of hotel guests last year when compared to 2018.

 

The sector welcomed approximately 1.8 million guests last year with a hotel occupancy rate of 66 per cent. 

 

According to SCTDA, Russians topped the hotel guests' list followed by the neighbouring GCC countries Saudi Arabia and Oman, and then India.

 

Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman, SCTDA, said that the emirate witnessed robust inflows of tourists throughout last year, thanks to the emirate’s major achievements in terms of the launch of new recreation facilities, tourism initiatives and related activities. 

 

Al Midfa said that by the end of 2019, the emirate had more than 10,000 hotel rooms, comprising 1,331 rooms in nine 5-star hotels; 2,733 rooms in 21 4-star hotels, as well as 31 in one to three-star hotels; and 2,485 apartments in 40 hotel apartment facilities.

 

Furthermore, six new 5-star and 4-star hotels were inaugurated last year, and more than seven new hotel projects were expected to be unveiled in 2020. 

 

This reflects Sharjah’s growth as a must-visit destination for families, business travellers and those seeking exciting tourism and recreation activities, and highlights investor confidence in Sharjah’s flourishing tourism sector.

 

Sharjah’s tourism sector is one of the main pillars of its economy, owing to its ability to effectively contribute to the creation of job opportunities, diversification of economic base and income sources. 

 

According to SCTDA, tourism accounted for 8.8 per cent or more than Dh9 billion of Sharjah’s total GDP of Dh102.5 billion as per the 2015 GDP data.

 

As part of its continued efforts to promote tourism, attract more tourists and visitors and boost the emirate’s tourism competitiveness, the SCTDA launched a package of innovative services last year, it stated.

 

These include the "Smart Mirror," an interactive platform that promotes Sharjah’s profile as a destination of choice for tourists by enabling users to explore the emirate’s main landmarks and attractions; and the "AI Tour Guide Chatbot," a 24×7 voice and text-based chatbot developed to provide the latest information about Sharjah to tourists and answer their queries, it added.-TradeArabia News Service