8.39 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

Sharjah hotels post 82% occupancy

Published
By Nissar Hoath

 

 

Hotels in Sharjah recorded an average occupancy rate of 82 per cent last year, a senior official from the emirate’s Commerce and Tourism Authority has revealed.


“It was a good year in terms of visitors,” senior commercial development executive Yasser Mohammad Zamzam told Emirates Business. “We had 2.5 million visitors, including those coming for tourism, business and shopping.

“It has been a very good year for tourism and business and this year we expect to receive more than three million visitors. Sharjah airport also witnessed growth in 2007 – it handled about three million passengers.”

Zamzam, who was attending the second Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings exhibition in Abu Dhabi, said Sharjah’s 96 hotels and hotel apartment blocks contained 7,000 rooms. “The number of rooms and new hotel properties has increased over the years, reflecting the emirate’s economic growth. Over the next couple of years we will have 12,000 rooms.”

A number of cultural, educational, leisure and business projects are likely to attract more visitors to Sharjah. “The new mega-projects include Sharjah Marina, a mixed development comprising hotels, residential and commercial buildings, marina services, shopping centres, sports facilities and education and health services,” said Zamzam.

“The entire project is to cost Dh15 billion and will be developed by a number of companies and investors. Another project, Nujoom Island, has recently been approved for development.”