Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) is continuing its participation in the International Tourism Bourse (ITB) Berlin, the world's leading travel trade show, which kicked off on Wednesday. Running until 9 March , Shurooq is participating in the 5-day B2B event for the 7th consecutive year in line with its strategy and ongoing efforts to make the best of major international events and platforms in promoting Sharjah as a leading and investment destination in the region and the world.
Shurooq's stand attracted high levels of interest and widespread acclaim with dignitaries and VIP's visiting the Authority's including, Nasser Ahmed Mahrazi Minister of Tourism of Oman and Juma Mubarak Al Junaibi, UAE Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany.
The authority is represented by a delegation led by Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), and includes Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer of Shurooq and Elie Armaly Director of Business Development of Shurooq, Fidel Faraj, Head of Asset Management of Shurooq, Hazem Sawaf marketing and communications manager at Authority (Shurooq), Mohammed Fadhil Al Mazroui, Al Majaz Waterfront Manager, and Hatem Heidar, Tourism Executive at Shurooq.
Highlighting the importance of participation, Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), said, "ITB Berlin is the world's leading travel trade show that offers an ideal platform to key professionals and decision makers in the global tourism industry, including tourism and travel agencies, hoteliers, tour operators and airlines, to benefit from the leading think tank of the global tourism industry. ITB Berlin offers us a precious opportunity to promote Sharjah on the global stage and highlight the Emirate's business potential and investment opportunities, powered by a portfolio of groundbreaking projects currently underway, as well as by its unique attraction offerings and tourist landmarks.
"We are very keen to take part in this premier event every year as it gives us a great opportunity to meet and network with key industry leaders. Sharjah has seen some extremely exciting developments since we were here last and we have a lot to share with this year's visitors. Making the best use of this global event, we have conducted a series of B2B meetings with members of participating delegations and representatives of leading international travel agencies, hoteliers and investors, to explore broader horizons of cooperation, familiarise them with remarkable developments taking place in the Emirate's promising tourism industry, and highlight its tourist destinations as well as the investment opportunities available in the Emirate's key four sectors identified by Shurooq as major areas of potential growth, namely travel and tourism, environment, healthcare, and transport and logistics." Shurooq's CEO highlighted a number of its mega including Al Jabal Resort - The Chedi Khorfakkan, Sir Bu Nair Island, the Heart of Sharjah, Al Bait Hotel, Al Majaz Waterfront, the Flag Island, the Kalba Eco-tourism project, Al Montazah Amusement and Waterpark, and Al Hisn Island - Dibba Al Hisn, stressing that each of these have been carefully designed to stimulate the local economy, while also providing foreign investors with unique opportunities to capitalise on the phenomenal growth being witnessed in the tourism and leisure sector.
In the run-up to its participation in ITB Berlin, Shurooq organised seminars in Germany's two most populous cities, Hamburg and Berlin which was attended Mr. Abdulrahman Ahmed Jaber, Head of the Economic Department at the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates - Berlin. The seminars, which took place on the 3rd and 4th of March, form part of the Shurooq's overall strategy of promoting Sharjah as a regional hub for international investment.
The relations between the UAE and Germany witnessed further development and growth in the recent years, especially in trade. According to the latest figures, the trade between Germany and the UAE jumped by 23 per cent in 2012 over the previous year, to EUR10.5bn. Preliminary results show significant further gains in 2013, meaning bilateral trade has almost trebled over the last decade. That makes the UAE the largest Arab market for German products, accounting for almost a third of imports into the region. There are more than 1,000 German companies in the UAE, while around 12,000 German national also live in the country.
Source: WAM