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Sharjah Posts 14pc Growth in European Tourists

SHARJAH — Shaikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority or SCTDA, stressed the importance of Sharjah’s excellent ties with European Union countries at Arabian Travel Market or ATM 2009.

“European tourists accounted for 49 percent of the 1.5 million tourists visiting Sharjah in 2008, a 14 per cent increase from 2007 figures. SCTDA’s statistics show that European tourists to Sharjah outnumber those of other nationalities, reaffirming the strategic importance of our participation in ATM, and the feasibility of our presence at the European industrial gathering to showcase Sharjah to European tourists,” said Shaikh Qasimi. “The keen interest shown by UAE’s corporations and organisations to participate in premier European commerce and tourism events is part of this growth and reflects the importance of collective efforts to turn these excellent ties into a strategic partnership.”

Al Qasimi was speaking at meetings held with Elena Udrea, Romania’s Minister of Tourism, and the accompanying delegation, which included Nicolae Goia, Romanian Ambassador to the UAE and another delegation from Greece, headed by the Greek Ambassador to the UAE and the President of the Greek National Tourism Organisation.