For inquiries
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
A number of officials and experts in the sectors of investment, development, tourism and hospitality stressed that the success of tourist destinations begins with understanding the identity of the place, its cultural specificity and the needs of its local community, and transforming these elements into exceptional experiences that attract visitors and create economic and investment opportunities for the population. They pointed out that the increasing competition in the tourism sector globally requires destinations to keep pace with the transformations in the concept of hospitality and luxury, while preserving heritage and natural resources.
This came during a panel discussion entitled "Building Destinations: Creating the Place and Establishing Identity", as part of the ninth edition of the Sharjah Investment Forum, organized by the Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah) in cooperation with the Ministry of Investment in the UAE, with the participation of H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Qusair, Executive Director of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq), H.E. Khalid Jassim Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, and Stefan Schopbach, CEO of Shedi Hospitality Group, and its media department, Walaa Al Fayeq.
Destination development begins with the definition of its purpose
H.E. Ahmed Obaid Al Qusair stressed that the success of any destination development project begins with answering a fundamental question: Why are we developing this project? Based on this answer, the nature of the design, the general plan and the target audience are determined. He cited the experience of the Chidi Al Bayt Hotel in the Heart of Sharjah, which benefited from existing heritage houses and the foundations of old houses, in order to provide an experience that brings the visitor back to the atmosphere of Sharjah in the past, while providing contemporary hospitality services.
Al-Qusayr reviewed the Kalba Beach project as a model for development that puts the needs of the community at the top of its priorities. He explained that the project includes paths for walking, running and cycling, in addition to the allocation of commercial units for young entrepreneurs from Kalba to establish cafes, restaurants and projects of their own. The project also adopts innovative solutions for sustainability, including the use of soil construction technology extracted from the same site, the use of solar energy, and the re-use of old electricity poles in some elements of the project, pointing out that sustainability also includes providing economic opportunities for the population and supporting local projects.
Promising growth opportunities for tourism
In turn, H.E. Khalid Jassim Al Midfa highlighted the economic opportunities in the tourism sector, pointing out that tourism contributes about 10% of global GDP, with its growth expected to exceed the growth of a number of other economic sectors over the next decade. He explained that Sharjah has the potential to benefit from this global trend, in light of the expansion of infrastructure projects and the development of the airport, and the launch of new projects in the central and eastern regions, as well as the opportunities offered by specialized tourism patterns, especially sports tourism, which is expected to grow significantly.
He discussed the challenges associated with the seasonality of tourism activity and the varying numbers of visitors throughout the year, explaining that dealing with them requires diversifying the exporting markets for tourists, avoiding dependence on one market, in addition to stimulating domestic tourism and encouraging local hotel residences in cooperation with the private sector. He stressed that partnerships between government agencies, tourism companies and hotel operators play a key role in reducing the impact of demand fluctuations, pointing out that the speed of the government’s response and flexibility in dealing with economic changes have contributed to enhancing investor confidence and the UAE’s attractiveness to business and tourism.
A new concept of luxury
For his part, Stefan Schopbach considered that the concept of luxury in the hospitality sector is undergoing a global transformation, as the value of the hotel has become linked to the specificity of the experience it offers and the stories it can tell about the place, rather than with traditional appearances. He explained that the Group’s experience in Sharjah has become a model to offer to its partners and international investors. He added that the increasing competition in the hospitality industry requires operators to keep pace with the aspirations of new generations and constantly develop their services.
Speaking about the future of hospitality, Shubakh revealed the group’s intention to test advanced applications for artificial intelligence in operating a new hotel it plans to open in Riyadh during the next nine months, explaining that the experience includes the use of these technologies in procurement systems, financial management, human resources and reservations, as part of an effort to develop operational processes and raise their efficiency. He stressed that the group is dealing with this step as a practical experiment to test the effectiveness of new technologies.
The forum, which will be held on October 14 and 15 at the Al Jawaher Center for Events and Conferences under the theme of “Building Resilient Economies”, provides investors and entrepreneurs with the opportunity to exchange experiences and build relationships and partnerships that help them develop their projects and expand their business.
For more Information contact: www.dxrprop.ae
Call/WhatsApp: +971501090635
Email: alnashra2013@gmail.com
– To write a special article about the name of your organization or company, you can write to the following email: