The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has announced the successful completion of its recent GCC Road Show that was designed to showcase this year's Summer Promotions in Sharjah and to increase GCC tourism to the Emirate. The road show ran from April 7-17. The announcement came as the authority wrapped up proceedings after their final show, which was in Jeddah - KSA. This was the third destination for the Sharjah delegation in KSA, where it has organized successful workshops for representatives of key travel and tourism agencies in three major cities: the Eastern region, Riyadh and Jeddah. Sharjah saw a 10 percent increase in the number of Saudi tourists visiting the emirate in 2008, bringing the total to 105,000, with a further 10 percent growth expected by the SCTDA in 2009. KSA citizens make up the largest number of GCC tourists to Sharjah, and the second largest from around the world. The GCC roadshow was the eighth such tour to be arranged by the SCTDA and was intended to promote Sharjah's unique tourist attractions and attract more GCC tourists to the emirate. It has achieved great success this year, attracting a wide range of travel and tourism agencies in the GCC in addition to the media, which covered all the activities as it progressed through Qatar, Kuwait, and KSA. The tour is part of SCTDA's efforts to encourage regional tourist activities, strengthen tourist ties among GCC countries, and to promote Sharjah's unique attractions as a distinctive destination for heritage, cultural and family tourism. Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmad Al Qassimi, SCTDA chairman, emphasized the importance of this promotional tour, adding that it comes at a time of major changes and challenges that require tremendous cooperative efforts to attract more tourists to the emirate. “We will intensify marketing and promotional activities for Sharjah to further boost its leading position on the global tourism map.” __
