Sharjah expects 180,000 Indian hotel guests by December, a 10% rise from 2023

Sharjah welcomed 165,000 Indian hotel guests in 2023, making India the emirate’s third-largest source market.

The Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) is ramping up efforts to enhance its presence in the Indian market by conducting a three-city roadshow in Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai, in collaboration with Think Strawberries.

In an exclusive interaction with T3, Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of SCTDA, said, “Last year, Sharjah hosted 165,000 Indian hotel guests, with an average stay of 2-3 nights. India has now become the third-largest source market for Sharjah.”

In the first six months of 2024, Sharjah welcomed around 94,000 Indian visitors. “We expect a 10% increase over last year’s figures, targeting more than 180,000 Indian hotel guests by December. A larger influx is anticipated in Q4, as more tourists tend to visit Sharjah after the summer. We’ve also seen excellent responses from other GCC countries, with Oman being a crucial market for us,” Midfa added. He further highlighted the high demand from India, with Sharjah being directly connected to 17 Indian cities by air.

When discussing the current strategy, Midfa stated that Sharjah aims to showcase what’s new for the Indian market. The emirate is focusing on attracting new segments, particularly in adventure and eco-tourism, while expanding its range of attractions and experiences.

Regarding tourism development, Midfa emphasized that infrastructure is the foundation. “Sharjah’s first step is to connect rural areas to the rest of the emirate through a high-quality road network, followed by creating attractions and increasing hotel inventory.”

Midfa also highlighted the success of the Hanging Gardens, launched earlier this year, which has quickly become a popular attraction packed with visitors. Nearby, Al Hefaiyah Lagoon offers a variety of family activities for Indian tourists to enjoy. On airport expansion, Midfa mentioned, “The new Sharjah International Airport is going to increase the capacity to 25 million passengers, from 8 million passengers.”

However, a key challenge Midfa mentioned is the current shortage of hotels to accommodate the growing number of tourists. “We have around 11,000 rooms, and this is our phase of investment. We are not competing on the number of rooms but on the quality and variety”, Midfa explained. “We are in talks with Intercontinental and Radisson, which will introduce new properties.”

The Lux Collective plans to open two hotels by the end of the year: Lux Al Bridi Resort, located at the world’s largest safari outside Africa, and Lux Al Jabal Resort, offering villas on a mountain overlooking the white sand beaches of Khorfakkan.

On the highly anticipated unified GCC tourist visa, Midfa believes it will be especially beneficial for Sharjah due to its strong airline connectivity and proximity to other UAE destinations. “This gives us a competitive edge, but we see regional growth as an opportunity, not competition. Travelers can stay longer in the GCC and explore multiple destinations,” he remarked.

Positioning Sharjah as a destination of ‘value,’ Midfa emphasized that the Sharjah is committed to preserving its identity, heritage, culture, education, art, archaeology, and environment, which comes at a cost. He noted that family tourism remains a top priority for Sharjah, followed by culture-based tourism, along with experiential and luxury retreats.