Sharjah wrapped up its hugely successful participation in the premier international tourism exhibition, ITB Berlin on Sunday, held from March 5 to 9 in the German capital. Led by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA), the emirate put up a strong show in its 17th year of being part of the Berlin exhibition, registering a high turnout of top officials, diplomats, investors, leading tourism players and extensive international media coverage. Mohamed Ali Al Noman, Chairman, SCTDA said that the Authority has been successful in achieving its objective of promoting and showcasing Sharjah's tourism product and cultural heritage from the platform of the high-profile international tourism summit. He referred to the number of meetings and interactions held with key players of international tourism industry and the strong presence of influential decision makers, diplomats and industry leaders at the Sharjah pavilion, reflecting the positive growth of the tourism sector in the emirate and contributing to further growth of international tourist inflow. Al Noman said that Sharjah had received more than 1.9 million tourists during 2013, which is expected to grow further in times ahead especially in view of the grand celebrations of the Emirate's crowning as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2014 which includes more than a thousand international cultural, tourism and entertainment events. The Sharjah Light Festival organised by the Authority last month also celebrated the theme of Islamic Culture Capital attracting tens of thousands of visitors, he pointed out. One of the highlights of the Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital celebrations will be the presentation, Clusters of Light, by the German Orchestra Babelsberg on March 26 at the Al Majaz Island Open Theatre. Source: The Gulf Today