"Cruise tourists will make a crucial chunk of the visitors to the emirate in coming years as we aim to attract more than 10 million tourists as part of the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021."
Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, or SCTDA has unveiled a bright outlook for the emirate's cruise tourism sector as the authority announced its participation at the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum in Doha hosted on December 7 and 8.
This is the third consecutive year of SCTDA's participation in the regional cruise event, which will bring together cruise line executives, regional stakeholders and government authorities to discuss key issues impacting the development of the Arabian Gulf's cruise industry.
"Cruise tourists will make a crucial chunk of the visitors to the emirate in coming years as we aim to attract more than 10 million tourists as part of the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021. Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum comes as a unique opportunity to raise awareness about Sharjah's growing potential as a cruise destination, establish new ties and foster relationships with existing cruise line partners," said Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman of SCTDA.
Al Midfa said Sharjah is preparing for a period of busy cruise activity during the 2015-16 season with as many as 37 calls, predominately from liners such as 'TUI Cruises', 'MSC Cruises' and 'Costa Cruises' and 'AIDA Cruises'. "These calls will bring an estimated 80,000 cruise passengers to the emirate, mostly from European countries such as Italy, Spain, France, Germany and the UK," Al Midfa stated.
"Sharjah provides cruise tourists easy visa processing and world-class amenities and leisure opportunities," Al Midfa added.
