The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) announces its aim of attracting more Russian visitors this year, as a growing number of tourists from Russia continue to flock to the Emirate to experience their world-renowned hospitality and distinctive cultural heritage in a first-hand fashion.

Russian tourists were ranked second on the list of overnight guests in Sharjah, with 328,000, according to statistics published by SCTDA in 2018. There was a 41% increase in the amount of visitors from Russia, the Commonwealth and the Baltic Sea area in the last year when compared to the previous year. In addition, during the same period, Russia's visitors ' market share rose to 23%.

Taking this trend into account, SCTDA and Air South Arabia are organizing a B2B event to demonstrate Sharjah's increasing repute as a first location for tourism at Four Seasons Hotel in Moscow on 11 September 2019, enabling them to build new alliances with important stakeholders of the Russian tourism industry to further expand market access to the transcontinental country. The event is an ongoing effort by SCTDA to ensure that the emirates are commonly promoted through tourism and travel-related events in Russia.

The event, which is entitled, 'Sharjah - Unforgettable leisure on two coastlines!' is going to focus on the most recent tourism offerings in the Emirate, and including leisure activities that promise a mix of fun and relaxing adventures and experiences for tourists and visitors of all ages, and further consolidate the positioning of the Emirate as the favourite tourist destination in the region.

SCTDA has implemented an integrated approach to promote Sharjah as a year-round family holiday destination to highlight the Emirate's varied tourist attractions, family leisure and tourism events, and world-class amenities. The Strategy includes offering significant unique packages and innovative solutions in cooperation with its partners, including those in the field of sustainable tourism. Moreover, it organizes periodic workshops focused on viable accommodation, environmental duties and the many distinctive cultural and tourist experiences of Sharjah throughout the year.

SCTDA's campaigns this year focus on environmental friendly tourism products, outdoor activities and branded hotels, to make Sharjah an optimal world-wide family-friendly destination. All these initiatives comply with the H.H. guidelines. Sharjah is the world's best destination to visit said Sheik Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad al Qasimi, Supreme Council and Sharjah Ruler.

H.E.-H.E. Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, SCTDA Chair, said: "We at SCTDA are working hard to maintain the trend through the influx of Russian visitors who visit the Emirates. We will collaborate with our partners in the nation to increase our presence and attract more travellers to our shores. It is extremely important for us to expand our presence in Russia through our relationships with major local tourism and travel players. We shall therefore continually design and create strategic initiatives to build new strategic links and fulfil our commitment to offer our visitors the greatest possible travel experience.

Al Midfa said at the upcoming B2B case, "We are confident that our interaction with representatives from industry and key stakeholders will produce beneficial results during the meeting. The Forum also gives us the chance to seek efficient methods of expanding our access to Russia and important European markets. Whilst promoting new tourism adventures in the Emirates, we trust that these initiatives will assist us in Moscow to reach our goal of 10,000,000 visitors by 2021.

Around 100 tour operators and travel agencies are expected to represent the B2B event that will feature a workshop, presentations by SCTDA and Air Arabia officials, and a networking event.