Sharjah is on a roll with Chinese arrivals, having benefitted from Dubai’s air connectivity and proximity, the UAE’s visa-on-arrival for Chinese visitors introduced in September 2016, AirArabia’s four weekly direct flights from Urumqi launched last year, and Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development’s new representative office in Beijing opened in early 2016.
These development lifted the number of Chinese hotel guests in Sharjah by 63 per cent over 2015 to reach 86,069. Sharjah expects the numbers to grow to 200,000 in 2021.
Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, chairman, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development, said most Chinese visiting Sharjah were group travellers and the remaining 10 per cent were FITs. In 2015 and 2016, both India and China compensated for the decline in Russian arrivals when the ruble devaluated.
Sharjah attracts the Chinese with authentic cultural and heritage experiences and outdoor activities such as wildlife spotting, trekking, mountain biking, dune bashing and desert safari.
It has also been observed that Chinese families are drawn to Sharjah’s eco-tourism attractions, such as the Al Noor Island butterfly park and the Mleiha Archaelogical Centre. A new safari park slated to open by the end of this year will add to Sharjah’s eco-tourism lures.
Meanwhile, the Heart of Sharjah development is being registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, said Khalid Jasim, who expects the status within the next two years. The development will include Albait Hotel, a luxury heritage hotel.
