UAE- Shurooq gears up to participate in ITB Asia 2012 

(MENAFN - Emirates News Agency (WAM)) The Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) will be participating in the 5th International Tourism Bourse (ITB) Asia, which is scheduled to be held from 17-19 October in Singapore.

Shurooq's presence at ITB Asia is in line with its strategy to promote Sharjah as a leading investment and tourist destination in the region and the world and follows on its highly successful participation in ITB Berlin in March this year.

Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of Shurooq said, "After the resounding success achieved during ITB Berlin, we are looking forward to capitalising further on the already considerable momentum in international interest that our various projects have generated. The tourism market of the Far East is the fastest growing in the global arena and with the already well-established trade ties that exist between Sharjah and this region, stepping up tourism related investment is a natural progression. Our participation in ITB Asia not only gives us the opportunity to promote our projects such as Al Qasba, The Heart of Sharjah, and of course our exciting newer offerings like the Kalba Eco-tourism Project, The Chedi Khorfakkan, and of course Al Hisn Island in Dibba Al Hisn, but also the chance to get our finger on the pulse of what is happening in the burgeoning Asian tourism sector." A delegation from Shurooq will be holding a series of meetings with members of the other participating delegations as well as the representatives of investors, travel agencies, and hoteliers to investigate avenues of mutually beneficial collaboration and create awareness amongst these stakeholders of the outstanding developments taking place in the Emirate's expanding tourism industry and the resultant potential for profitable investment in this sector.

Shurooq will also be promoting the Authority's various projects in cooperation with the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA). The stand will give ITB Asia participants the opportunity to get both an overview and a deeper insight into developments such as the ambitious three-phase Kalba Eco-tourism project that aims to redevelop Kalba's nature reserve and establish an environmentally friendly and sustainable commercial and tourism destination as well as The Chedi Khorfakkan, which at a planned cost of AED420 million is set to become one of the premier leisure destinations in the country and region.

Organised by Messe Berlin (Singapore) Pte Ltd and supported by the Singapore Exhibition '&' Convention Bureau, ITB Asia is an annually held three-day B2B trade show and convention. It is the premier business to business tourism platform in the region giving international exhibitors of all sectors of the travel-value chain, Asia Pacific's leading travel companies, as well as emerging small and medium-sized enterprises the opportunity to meet with top international buyers from the MICE, Leisure and Corporate Travel markets.

ITB Asia 2011 saw 7,511 delegates and 750 exhibiting organisations pass through its doors with representation from 91 countries featuring 600 top-quality hosted buyers and ITB Asia 2012 is expected to far surpass its predecessor. Of special interest this year is the Responsible Tourism Forum '&' Networking Event, which will be held on Friday the 19th of October. Open to all participants of ITB Asia 2012 the event will shed light on developments in the responsible tourism sector and give participants the opportunity to network and exchange ideas and information with the leading experts and innovators in this field.