Prasenjit Chakraborty - Mumbai Sharjah, one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is quickly becoming a top tourism hotspot. To attract more visitors from India, the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) recently hosted a roadshow in Mumbai, which saw strong participation from the city’s travel trade sector.
At the event, Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, highlighted Sharjah’s progress and its expanding range of attractions. “We are making significant advances, particularly in adventure tourism and eco-tourism, which is increasingly popular globally,” Midfa remarked.
One of Sharjah’s latest highlights is the Hanging Garden, featuring expansive green areas, flower-adorned terraces, and waterfalls. “This garden has quickly become a favourite among tourists and tends to be busy except during the summer months. However, visitors can still enjoy indoor amenities like restaurants and cafes during this time. The garden’s outdoor areas are open from September through May, and the Hanging Garden is also popular with Indian tourists,” Midfa added. He also noted a striking artificial lagoon near the garden, which offers a variety of activities for visitors.
Midfa noted that these attractions are situated in a rural area on the East Coast, and their development is being executed in three phases. “First, we connected the area to the city of Sharjah and the rest of the UAE with a world-class road. In the second phase, we established the attractions. Currently, we are focused on building additional hotels,” Midfa explained. He mentioned that Sharjah currently offers 11,000 hotel rooms.
When asked about possible joint marketing and promotional campaigns with other GCC countries, Midfa responded, “Such initiatives might occur in the future, but there are no plans at the moment. I believe individual efforts are currently more effective.”
Regarding the upcoming winter season, Midfa indicated that while there will be a winter campaign, it will not be as extensive as the summer campaign due to the existing strong demand.
On the Indian market, Midfa highlighted that the country has become Sharjah’s third-largest source market. “Last year, 165,000 Indian visitors stayed in Sharjah hotels. This year, our goal is to increase that number by 10%, aiming for around 185,000,” he said. He also noted that 94,000 Indians have visited Sharjah in the first half of this year, which is very encouraging.
Additionally, Sharjah International Airport is expanding its capacity from 8 million to 25 million passengers per year, with the project slated for completion by the end of 2026, according to Midfa.
