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Sharjah Makes Strong Showing At WTM |
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Sharjah’s stand at the 31st World Travel Market (WTM), taking place in London from 8 to 11 November 2010, has already attracted significant attention from leading tourism agencies and experts on the first day of Europe’s premier travel event, in which the emirate is participating for the 8th consecutive year. Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), met with a number of senior figures and heads of leading travel and tourism companies, as well as with ambassadors, senior businessmen and heads of participating delegations who visited the Sharjah stand. The discussions involved ways of stimulating tourism in the British market in particular and the European market in general, especially in view of the fact that Sharjah has become one of the most prominent destinations favoured by European tourists, who view it as a symbol of heritage, historical and cultural tourism, as well as appreciating the diverse tourism attractions that have firmly established the emirate’s status on the global tourism map. Sharjah’s stand also saw a huge turnout of visitors - particularly the British who constitute the majority of European tourist arrivals in the emirate each year - a clear result of the great success achieved by the SCTDA during its participation in last year’s WTM. This year, Sharjah is represented by a high-profile delegation, headed by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi. Speaking of Sharjah’s participation in the event, the SCTDA chairman, said: "The SCTDA is always keen to participate in major international tourism conferences and exhibitions, and the World Travel Market is right at the top of the list. By focusing on global platforms we can showcase the tourism features and attractions that distinguish Sharjah from other countries in the region"."The tourism and travel industry is one of the world’s most important industries, and an important economic sector: one that can absorb huge manpower and has high employment rates. It is also the main source of income for many countries of the world, and confidence in the tourism sector will not shift, as it has the potential to continue growing over the long term and greatly contributing to global Gross Domestic Product (GDP)," he added. According to the World Tourism Organization, the tourism sector achieved returns of $944 billion in 2008. Studies by the International Travel and Tourism Council show that the tourism industry is one of the world’s fastest growing economic sectors, and it is projected to grow by four percent over the next ten years by 2019, adding over 275,000 jobs every year. |
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