Summer of Shurooq: Sharjah’s investment authority continues to grow tourism

This Trove blog was written by Trove’s Strategic Planning team.

This summer was a big one for the UAE’s third largest city, Sharjah. After our last blog on Sharjah’s consumer tourism plans for the summer, Sharjah’s Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) made significant investments in media, products, destinations and future planning. Shurooq continues to catapult Sharjah’s tourism to the regional and global mainstage, in time for increased air traffic and inbound tourism.

New Tourism Products: Sharjah’s attractions are continually highlighted within global media, and most recently, Shurooq destination Sharjah’s Flag Island, the Al Majaz Waterfront, Al Qasba, and Al Noor Island were all highlights in Gulf Business’ Most Instagrammable Spots in the UAE, with Al Noor Island getting the headline spot.

In addition, Shurooq has launched two new beach development projects, totaling AED197 million ($53.6 million) as Sharjah continues to invest in its tourism industry in the advent of COVID-19. This project includes the upcoming Al Luluyah Beach project, located on the eastern coast in Khorfakkan, which will include a women-only beach, public beaches and beautiful swimming pools; and the Al Hira Beach project, which will include children’s playgrounds cafes and shopping outlets. These investments are further developing the natural beach properties that are unique to Sharjah and bring in travelers from around the world, and they will bring camping, waterpark attractions and coastal entertainment to the forefront.

The House of Wisdom has also been in the forefront of the media recently, given the significance the cultural hub has for Sharjah. Sharjah is the World Book Capital, as decided by UNESCO in 2019, and much of this comes from the House of Wisdom. The library and landscape is an architectural feat and has become, throughout the pandemic especially, a major center of local and regional cultural exchange.

Prime Time for Investments: On Sharjah TV's "Molhemoon" programme, which airs on the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority's channel, Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, Executive Chairman of Shurooq, spoke on the successes by Shurooq in strengthening the investment environment in Sharjah with tourism and entertainment projects. He spoke about the major gains in the last few years of surfacing the unique cultural, recreational, and outdoor gems that Sharjah has to offer as a must-visit destination and investment opportunity. Sharjah’s Flag Island, Sharjah Collection, Khorfakkah Beach, Kalba, and Mleiha are all Sharjah destinations that are often on any visitor’s UAE hit-list and have developed attention globally as visitors experience the culture, entertainment and natural sites of Sharjah.

Another aspect of Sharjah’s attraction as an investment opportunity has been its Free Zones, a main attractiveness factor for foreign direct investment. These zones include the two most established ones, Hamriyah Free Zone and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone, which are focused on industry, and then zones for non-industrial purposes including Creative industries (Sharjah Media City), publishing and printing (Sharjah Publishing City), R&D (Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park) and healthcare (Sharjah Healthcare City).

Tourist Guide Program increases local capacity: Shurooq, in cooperation with the Sharjah Education Council (SEC) and the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA), launched the Tourist Guide Programme this summer, focused on identifying and training students with hospitality and customer service skills to be tour guides in Sharjah. This will allow them to integrate into the local tourism industry and increase the capacity and ability for Sharjah’s tourist destinations to prepare for incoming tourism.

The programme launched in July and includes site visits and workshops, as well as training on central skills in the industry. This will help with professional development locally in Sharjah and will help Shurooq continue to arm its destinations in particular with smart talent.

Postcard Program Showcases Culture in the Heart of Sharjah: - Shurooq and Emirates Post signed an agreement to put “Heart of Sharjah” at the forefront through the creation of Sharjah specific postcards. Rashed Huraiz Alfalasi, acting Chief Retail Officer of Emirates Post and Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, COO of Shurooq, signed the agreement in a ceremony to commemorate the program. “Heart of Sharjah” is the heritage district of Sharjah and Emirates Post will be highlighting the district as well as cultural offerings of Sharjah in special edition postcards and postage stamps. These artifacts will be available for visitors when visiting the cultural district.

Trove looks forward to continuing to watch as Sharjah re-opens globally to travelers and welcomes back visitors to new and existing “gems”.