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The Sharjah Commercial and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), currently participating in the World Travel Market 2008 (WTM 2008), has issued its statistical report to the end of the third quarter of 2008, which defined growth rates in the emirate''s tourism sector until the end of September 2008. The report shows that the tourism sector in Sharjah continued its rapid growth and noticeable development over the first nine months of 2008, compared to the same period in 2007.
 
The statistics issued by the SCTDA show a remarkable increase in the number of hotel visitors in Sharjah up to the end of September 2008, totalling 1,152,181, compared to the 2007 figure of 1,022,985 for the same period, while the hotels showed an occupation rate of 75 percent until the end of September 2008, compared to 72 per cent in the same period of 2007. The total number of hotels and hotel apartments in Sharjah rose to 103, including 37 hotels and 66 hotel apartments, compared to 74 in the same period of 2007, including 24 hotels and 50 hotel apartments.
 
As a result of the increase in the number of hotels, the number of hotel rooms went up to 3,913 by the end of September, compared to 3,237 in the same period of last year. The number of hotel apartment rooms increased to 3,837 by the end of September 2008, compared to 2,843 in the same period of 2007, bringing the total number of rooms in hotels and hotel apartments to 7,750, up from 6,080 in September 2007.
 
The number of visitors in Sharjah''s hotels and hotel apartments rose from 1,022,985 in the first nine months of 2007 to 1,152,181 for the same period in 2008. The number of nights spent by visitors in hotels and hotel apartments by the end of September rose to 1,062,934, including 632,406 nights in hotels and 415,993 in hotel apartments, compared to 1,031,689 in the same period of 2007, including 592,815 hotel nights and 438,874 hotel apartment nights.
 
The SCTDA''s statistics reveal that European visitors make up the greatest number of tourists who entered the emirate until the end of September, accounting for 33 percent of the total number of tourists. GCC tourists come second at 29 percent, and Asian tourists third at 20 percent. Tourists from the remaining Arab states formed 13 percent, while visitors from Commonwealth, American, African and Pacific states accounted for 5 percent.
 
The increase in Sharjah''s hotel occupation rates and the number of hotel institutions forecasts impressive tourism performance for the year, as can be seen from what had been achieved by the end of September, said H.E  Mohammed A Al Noman, Director General of the SCTDA, commenting on the statistics.
 
"The SCTDA depends on a clear strategy and aims to develop the emirate''s tourism sector through targeting important markets, which include people involved in the tourism industry. It also attempts to organize activities that will directly improve tourism promotion via the participation in important tourism and commercial exhibitions, the organization of promotional campaigns, and the hosting of marketing and tourism activities. The statistics point to changes witnessed in Sharjah''s tourist sector and the SCTDA''s real and positive production throughout the year," Al Noman added.
 
Speaking of the SCTDA''s activity until the end of 2008''s third quarter, he said, "This period of the year saw remarkable activity by the SCTDA, which targeted international, regional and local tourism markets in an intensive and well-planned way to meet the requirements of tourism market in the emirate. The tourism market has witnessed rapid growth due to the new strategies drawn up by the SCTDA since the beginning of 2008, pushing us to even greater efforts to follow development and provide better promotion of the emirate.”
 
"Following successful participation in many international activities, exhibitions and conferences, the SCTDA was keen over the first four months of 2008 to organize a number of important local activities. We plan now to enter into a new phase of the development of the tourism sector, which will further enhance Sharjah''s position on the international tourism map."  

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