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The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) has set up a workshop for the delegation who will be attending the International Tourism Bourse (ITB), taking place in Germany from 10 14 March 2010, to discuss all the details concerning the event.

H.E. Mohamed A. Al Noman, SCTDA Director General, stressed the importance of events such as the ITB Berlin and related activities - including workshops and seminars - in highlighting tourism diversity and strengthening business relations with potential authorities in the tourism industry, and noted that the ITB has become one of the most important international tourism and economic events in the world.

"This year's ITB is expected to witness a diversification regarding the number of participants and tourism destinations," says Al Noman. "As such, the event will provide us with an important promotional stage and a window of opportunity to market a wide array of tourism packages that will bring out Sharjah's distinctive international tourism status."

Spearheaded by Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qassimi, SCTDA Chairman, the delegation representing Sharjah at the event will include members from 14 establishments from both the government and private sectors, including representatives from the SCTDA, Al Qasba, Sharjah Museums Department, Sharjah International Airport Authority, Sharjah National Hotels (Marbella Resort, Holiday International Hotel, Oceanic Resort), Radisson Blu Hotel and Resort, Sharjah Grand Hotel, Al Louloua Beach Resort, Coral Beach Resort, Golden Tulip Hotel, Orient Tours and Ilaf Tours.

Members of the delegation expressed their commitment to portraying a bright picture of Sharjah at the ITB Berlin, which is one of the biggest exhibitions concerned with the tourism industry globally, and which gathers a host of tourism experts and more than 10,000 participants - from all over the world each year. They also praised the SCTDA for providing all the necessary facilities to make Sharjah's participation at the event a success, stating that the emirate's tourism sector will resultantly reap the benefits.

A detailed description of the Sharjah stand, which will be beautifully designed to reflect the emirates tourism, cultural and historical identity over an area of 303 sq. meters, and which will feature activities such as Emirati folklore shows, henna drawing and genuine Arab hospitality, was reviewed in detail by the SCTDA's Oversees Promotion Department.

The SCTDA's participation in the exhibition is in line with Sharjah's strategies to promote tourism around the world, to put Sharjah in the lead in terms of global tourism and to promote the tourism sector in the emirate, which attracts more and more tourists each year due to its distinguished tourism aspects.

This year's ITB comes in the wake of the economic crisis that took the world by storm, and as such will provide the perfect setting to identify new trends and concepts, establish cooperation efforts and strengthen commercial and tourism relations.