|
||||||||||||
Coveted ITB Award for Sharjah |
||||||||||||
|
Sharjah has created history once again by bagging the Best Middle East Exhibitor Award at the International Tourism Bourse 2012, the 5-day prestigious event of the global tourism and travel industry that wrapped up today in the German capital. The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, which headed a large delegation of leading players from the public and private sectors associated with the tourism and hospitality industry to the ITB Berlin, beat numerous formidable participants from the Middle East to win the coveted the Best Middle East Exhibitor Award for its distinct participation in the ITB and the unique celebration of Emirati and Arab heritage and culture that was showcased at Sharjah’s eye catching pavilion. The SCTDA has won the Award for the sixth year in a row, topping a decade and half long journey of excellence and taking Sharjah to the world. “The ITB Award once again recognizes our efforts and sincere work all these years to turn the spotlight on the untold story of Sharjah,” said SCTDA Chairman Mohamed Ali Al Noman after receiving the Award at a glittering ceremony at the Marshall Hall in the German capital, Berlin along with Sharjah Airports Authority Chairman Ali Al Midfa and Sharjah Media Centre Director Osama Al Samra and other senior officials of the SCTDA. “It complements our regular and effective participation over the years in the ITB and the journey of excellence to take Sharjah to the world, especially to Europe which is our single biggest market,” he added. The statistics for the Year 2011 that were released at the Berlin exhibition this week suggest a growing European interest in Sharjah, forming 45 per cent of the emirate’s tourism market. “Sharjah now occupies a prominent place in global tourism market and has carved a niche for itself in the German and European market,” Al Noman pointed out. The ITB Tourism Excellence Awards were processed and adjudged by a professional students-faculty team of the Cologne Business School led by Dr Guido Sommer, the Dean of Tourism Faculty of the prestigious business school. Underscoring the importance of promoting the emirate celebrated as the Capital of Arab and Islamic culture in the international tourism market, the SCTDA Chairman said, “we recognised long ago, indeed at the beginning of our journey, that there is a close and strong relationship between tourism and economic progress and infrastructure development. Tourism creates economic opportunities and directly contributes to the economy. This is what we have been trying to achieve by promoting Sharjah across the globe and attracting more and more tourists to the emirate.” He attributed the steady and continuous growth of Sharjah’s tourism sector to close cooperation and integration between the government and private sector in boosting tourism and economic growth. “Sharjah offers a complete touristic product and ideal holiday destination for the entire family thanks to its combination of heritage, festivals, souqs and malls and a breathtaking coastline with golden beaches. All this goes with a world class infrastructure and a safe and friendly environment for the tourists,” Al Noman pointed out. The Sharjah pavilion at the ITB exhibition has been a hive of buzzing activities and constant parade of European and international delegates and visitors with many of them posing for cameras in traditional Emirati attires and costumes. German and European women visitors have been crowding the Heritage Village in Sharjah pavilion to get their hands henna painted. Sharjah is participating for the fifteenth year in the ITB, one of the five most important international exhibitions in the world. More than 11,000 exhibitors, including government tourism bodies, airlines and tour operators etc., and 100,000 professionals took part in the exhibition which has been visited by more than 180,000 visitors. |
||||||||||||
