Saudi tourists throng Sharjah’s hotels in H1

Saudi tourists accounted for the largest share of hotel guests in Sharjah during the first half of the year, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) said in a statement, adding that it seeks to attract more visitors from the Kingdom in 2017.

In total, the emirate’s hotels received at least 72,000 Saudi travelers, the report added.

Attracting more visitors from Saudi Arabia is at the heart of future plans to expand Sharjah’s hospitality sector.

“The strategic plan for this year is to sustain the high tourist arrivals from Saudi Arabia. SCTDA has set into motion a number of road shows covering major cities in the KSA to highlight Sharjah’s popular tourist attractions and showcase its identity and rich traditions that have remained intact even in today’s modern times,” the statement said.

The emirate’s hospitality sector increased by 7.8 percent during the first half of the year reaching AED 372 million.

Hotel occupancy rate came in at 70 percent with 885,000 guests, 3.5 percent higher compared to the same period in 2016.

“Our ultimate goal is to draw 10 million visitors a year by 2021,” the SCTDA chairman Khalid Jasim Al Midfa said.