Potential tour guides flock to Sharjah for culture classes

The biggest attraction in the emirate these days seems to be the job of telling others about the attractions in Sharjah.

ABU DHABI // The biggest attraction in Sharjah these days seems to be the job of telling others about the attractions in Sharjah. Training courses for tour guides at the Islamic Museum have become so popular that classes are booked up, and additional lectures have had to be scheduled this month to cope with demand. Since the programme was announced last year, the Sharjah Museums Department has trained 150 guides.

Although much of Sharjah's tourism is made up of visitors trying to save money in cheaper hotels away from Dubai, the emirate is a growing cultural and historical centre. It is the only emirate with a historical district dedicated to preserving the white coral and gypsum buildings that once dominated the city. About 85 of these structures are standing in the city's Heritage and Arts area. The emirate also offers more than a dozen museums of Arabic calligraphy, culture and art.

Because its cultural offerings are so varied, the Islamic Museum began to better educate its tour guides. "Due to the great demand and to reach more guides, we'll be conducting future sessions," said Conny Boettger, the emirate's tourism marketing manager. "The training is a half-day programme which consists of three in-depth lectures, each one lasting one hour. The presentations are about Islamic civilisation, Islamic art and guiding techniques at museums."

The courses are conducted by the Sharjah Islamic Museum's collection adviser, Ulrike al Khamis, and by an accredited tourist guide trainer. "The guides that underwent the course became more confident in terms of guiding through this extensive collection as their knowledge about Islamic civilization increased," Ms Boettger said. Sharjah announced yesterday that more than 35,000 Kuwaiti families had visited the emirate on holiday last year. The figures were released as the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority stopped in Kuwait as part of its 8th promotional road show in the GCC.

The show is intended to promote the emirate's attractions and encourage more GCC tourists to visit. Other destinations include Doha, Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah. The road show precedes the launch of the Sharjah Summer Promotion 2009, which will include special discounts, prizes and offers to encourage shopping in the summer. Bucking downward trends in other emirates, Sharjah saw a five per cent increase in the number of tourists in 2008. About 1.5 million people visited last year, about the same number who visited Abu Dhabi, a significant increase from 600,000 the previous year. The number of hotel facilities in the emirate has increased to 103 - 37 hotels and 66 hotel apartments - with 8,000 hotel rooms. According to the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, hotel occupancy was about 86 per cent in 2008.

Most of the guides who underwent Sharjah's training programme were either hired on a freelance basis or employed by the main Destination Management Company or by tour operators in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Ms Boettger said people interested in hiring a trained guide should seek one through a reputable Sharjah city tour. The next training sessions will take place on April 19 and 20. [e-mail]