As part of its ongoing efforts to promote the emirate’s museums around the world, Sharjah Museums Department (SMD) is participating in this year’s Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE), being held from 21-23 June at the China National Convention Centre.

SMD is attending Asia’s leading annual travel and tourism event under the umbrella of the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) for the second year in a row. One of the fastest-growing tourism exhibitions in the industry, this year’s three-day expo is expected to attract 900 exhibitors from 90 countries and regions, as well as 45,000 trade and public visitors.

SMD aims to tap China’s massive tourism market by ensuring Sharjah remains firmly on the map for Chinese and Asian tourists. "The Beijing exhibition offers us a great opportunity to promote our museums and introduce their unique cultural offerings to both the participants and visitors," says Manal Ataya, Director General of SMD.

"Along with developing awareness about our 16 museums and highlighting the fact that they are unique tourist attractions, SMD’s participation in the expo will allow the department to exchange information and network with other tourism and hospitality organizations. By strengthening ties in this way, SMD aims to sign agreements with major tourism companies to attract Chinese tourists to the museums".

"Our attendance at BITE 2013 will help to further expand the burgeoning Chinese tourism market," says Ataya. "The number of Chinese travelers to Sharjah has risen dramatically in recent years as the country’s vast tourism market continues to grow." The Sharjah delegation, led by SCTDA, will showcase the celebrated Cultural Capital of the Arab world in 1998 and the Cultural Capital of the Islamic world for 2014 at the Beijing exhibition from an eye-catching platform that has repeatedly received the Best Exhibitor Award for its design excellence.

In 2012, Sharjah welcomed more than 227,554 tourists from Asia, representing 13 per cent of the total number of international visitors to the emirate. Due to the high demand and to provide better services to these visitors, SMD has printed a Chinese version of its tourist guide.

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