Sharjah to introduce new hotel classification criteria

Sharjah plans to introduce a new hotel classification criteria in a bid to boost tourism in the emirate. The Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) wants all stake holders onboard, so it called a meeting last week in this regard. A presentation was made the Authority before a select audience of more than 60 leaders and representatives of hotel industry seeking their inputs and suggestions on the new hotel classification criteria that are being put together. The two-day session started with a discussion on Sharjah’s Hotel Classification and Licensing Law and the latest updates on the classification criteria procedures that the Authority introduced in 2008 following the Sharjah Executive Council Decree No. 16. The meeting elicited and discussed the views and suggestions of the representatives of the hotel industry.  SCTDA chairman Mohamed Ali Al Noman said that the new hotel classification process is aimed at upgrading and improving quality standards of the hospitality sector in the emirate and bolster growth. “The proposed norms are aimed at improving the experience of the growing number of international visitors to Sharjah, offering the consumers better quality services and greater number of choices. They will help create new investment opportunities and attract new tourism market segments,” said Al Noman. The SCTDA chairman underscored the importance of cooperation between the Authority and all hotel establishments in the emirate to strengthen the hospitality sector, which is one of the most crucial pillars of the tourism industry. For their part, leading representatives of the hotel industry welcomed the new initiatives and mechanisms for the hotel classification, vowing to exert all possible efforts to cooperate and work with the Authority to boost the tourism sector in the emirate. “Providing better quality services and facilities to tourists will in turn enhance the standard of the tourism sector and boost the tourist flow to the emirate,” Al Noman said adding that the new classification norms are in tune with the latest trends and developments in global tourism markets and the requirements of the domestic market of the emirate. From : Khalij