The Sharjah Tourism Advisory Committee, chaired by Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Director General of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), held its third meeting to discuss the latest developments in the tourism sector in the emirate.

The meeting focused on Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021 aim to attract 10 million tourists by 2021, and identified the main pillars that have been activated to achieve this goal. The meeting also highlighted the success achieved by SCTDA during the recent participations in international tourism fairs and regional and global promotional tours.

The high-profile meeting was attended by Saif Mohamed Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah; Ahmed Al Qaseer, Chief Operating Officer, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq); Manal Attayah, Director General, Sharjah Museums Department; Naser Nasief, Chairman of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Committee for Tourism Sector-Hotels; Engineer Lamia Obaid Al Shamsi, Director, IT, Sharjah International Airport Authority; Omar Mattar, Sales Manager, Air Arabia; Maha Jawaad, Administrative Coordinator in the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA), Abdul Wahid Al Zarouni, Chairman of the Travel, Haj & Omra Business Group in the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Mohamed Meer Abdulrahman, Manager, Department of Seaports and Customs; and Abdul Aziz Al Jarwan, Director, Commission for Roads and Transportation in Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority.

The meeting began with the display of a new promotional film for the Emirate of Sharjah that highlights the main cultural and heritage attractions and other tourist destinations in the emirate. The film showcases Sharjah's tourism services in an innovative way with the accompaniment of music to take the viewers on a journey through the most prominent tourism attractions of the emirate in just six minutes.

Reviewing the main features of the Sharjah Tourism Vision 2021, launched recently by SCTDA, Khalid Jasim Al Midfa called for concerted efforts of all players in the tourism sector, pointing out that cooperation between all parties is critical to achieving the Vision.

Al Midfa said the Vision 2021 serves as a platform to unite all the efforts and initiatives as well as future programmes of Sharjah's tourism sector under one umbrella.

Al Midfa said the Authority is targeting new markets and looking to expand its share of the global travel and tourism market. China, India and the GCC are the most important markets for SCTDA in achieving the objectives of Vision 2021.

Al Midfa said the Authority is working on activating the key pillars of the Vision in collaboration with partners from the private and government sectors, and has launched initiatives and services to support the Vision.

He also highlighted some of the initiatives and programmes launched recently, including the ‘Marhabtain' initiative, a comprehensive training programme that aims to develop capabilities in the tourism sector and enhance the skill levels of national cadres in this sector.

Al Midfa said the ‘Marhabtain' initiative has already seen the launch of two programmes, the first aimed at training taxi drivers in Sharjah, in collaboration with the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority.