Sharjah resort goes to Beijing to tap Chinese market

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates – With an eye on sharp increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting the UAE, the Coral Beach Resort Sharjah, is all set to showcase its facilities at the China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market (COTTM), only dedicated business-to-business outbound travel event in China, starting from today at the National Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Beijing. The exhibition will on until 16th April.

Ghulam Sajjad, Head of Sales and Marketing for Coral Beach Resort Sharjah is in Beijing to showcase the hotel’s facilities and discuss business opportunities with international tourism, travel and hospitality industry stakeholders.

Jean Pierre Simon, Regional General Manager, Northern Emirates, Coral Hotels & Resorts, emphasised that Sharjah’s presence at the COTTM, Beijing, is quite special as the emirate has been crowned as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2015. It has enhanced tourists’ interest in Sharjah’s rich historical, cultural, heritage and modern tourism product.

He added, “China is rapidly developing, which is reflected in the increasing number of Chinese tourists and their profile. They are seeking brands such as ours. Participating in the COTTM exhibition will give us an opportunity to present our facilities to key players of China’s outbound tourism industry and forge new ties.”

According to a 2015 forecast report by Business Monitor International (BMI), tourist arrival in the UAE may rise to 16.47mn. Therefore, tourism receipts are forecast to reach US$20.11bn, while the hotel and restaurant industry is expected to grow by 16.65% in USD terms to reach US$10.84bn.

Sharjah is expected to attract a major share of it as the emirate’s tourist graph is continuously improving. The trend is supported by the fact that Sharjah’s hotels attracted more than two million guests during the year 2014.

Jean Pierre said, “Chinese tourists will be playing a significant role in meeting the target. During the past few years, the interest of Chinese and Asian tourists in Sharjah and other parts of the UAE has been consistently growing which reflects in growing visitor numbers. It is important for us to tap this massive market.”