The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) organized a business meeting with the Embassy of the Republic of North Macedonia in the UAE and the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA).
The meeting was held due to the visit of an economic delegation from North Macedonia to the Emirate of Sharjah, during which SCCI highlighted the emirate’s tourism attractiveness and promoted its distinct place on the safe, global tourism map.
Waleed Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, Second Vice-President, SCCI, said, “The areas of bilateral cooperation between Sharjah and North Macedonia are highly diversified. There are numerous potential opportunities to expand this cooperation in several different fields, including the tourism sector, which is undergoing a significant transition.”
He said, “As this sector continues to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, global tourism is also recovering and accelerating its growth trajectories.”
Bukhatir said, “Both countries possess competitive and distinct features as prominent tourist destinations, with Sharjah’s development tourism model representing a novel and innovative approach to establishing tourist strategies with long-term development implications.”
He said, “the Emirate is eager to develop creative initiatives that promote tourism services and products.”
Abdul Qadir Mimidi, Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to the UAE, highlighted his country’s ambition of expanding ties with the Emirate of Sharjah in all areas, particularly tourism, owing to the fact that both nations are known for their distinct and diverse tourist attractions.
He also emphasized the significance of such a meeting in exploring the emirate’s tourism features and strengthening relations.
“The strategy of the Republic of North Macedonia is to attract tourists from the Arab Gulf countries, with a target of over two million visitors this year and three million in 2023. This is due to the fact that it is ranked fifth in the world for attracting foreign tourists,” Mimidi said.
Ahmed Rashid bin Sheikh, Head of the European Market Division at SCTDA, stressed on Sharjah’s most important tourism features.
He said that the emirate witnessed a tremendous change in the sector in the last few years, with many leading environmental, heritage, and investment tourism projects being established.
He said that Sharjah has over 100 hotel facilities, 10,000 rooms and a variety of hotel categories. Hotel occupancy reached over AED120 million in the first quarter of this year.
Sharjah has an international airport that will be expanded in 2024 to accommodate over 20 million passengers instead of the present eight million.
Several businessmen and representatives from the tourism sector were present in the meeting.