Sharjah records 80% occupancy for Q1 of 2013
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Sharjah witnessed a positive Arabian Travel Market with its first quarter results. For 2013, the hotel occupancy in the emirate was more than 80%, compared to 78% last year.
The number of hotel guests in Sharjah in the first quarter stood at 503,985 mark, as compared to 466,218 in the same period last year, which is an eight percent increase. There was also a significant rise in hotel room nights or overnight stays as well which touched 612,574 room nights, against 539,393 room nights in the same period last year, which is an increase of 14%.
According to Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), European visitors have once again emerged the largest block of tourists. The Europeans accounted for 38% of the total number of tourists. The tourists from the Arab Gulf or GCC states stood second at 34% of the tourism market share. The Asian tourists ranked third bagging 14% of the share while the percentage of tourists from other Arab countries stood at 10%. The visitors from the CIS nations, Americas, Africa and the Pacific countries contributed 4% to the tourism market.
The number of hotel establishments in the emirate now stands at 101 (46 hotels and 55 hotel apartments) with a combined total of 9,093 rooms. More hotels and hotel apartments are set to join in the next stage to boost the hospitality sector and its capacity.