UAE's role as a publishing hub stressed at Frankfurt summit

Supplied photo

frankfurt - Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) held a series of meetings at the Global Publishing Summit in Frankfurt, Germany, to extoll the UAE's advantages as a centre for the international publishing industry.
The activities to promote the UAE as a major publishing hub formed a key component of SBA's participation at the annual Frankfurt Book Fair, currently underway in Germany's fifth largest city.
During the meetings, Al Ameri revealed that the European Union (EU) countries import $33 million worth of books from the Arab world, with the United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium making up 94 per cent of these imports. He also highlighted that the Arab world imports $1 billion in books, with the EU having a 29 per cent market share. He explained how this represents a significant opportunity for growth for EU exporters and discussed how basing their operations in the UAE would offer them an array of opportunities to access markets in the developing world.
"The Arab world comprises around 370 million people and demographically is characterised by being a youthful and digitally connected population. The UAE's publishing market is estimated to be $233 million and expected to triple in size by 2030 - this anticipated growth signals huge opportunities for international publishers."
Focusing on Sharjah in particular, Al Ameri explained how the emirate had emerged as a leading city in realising the UAE's vision of becoming a global publishing hub.
SBA continues its participation at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which runs from October 19-23, to highlight the forthcoming SIBF that takes place November 2-12 at Expo Centre Sharjah.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com