Wednesday, Nov 28, 2012
Sharjah: Now tourists and residents in Sharjah can take a tour bus for the sightseeing tour of the Emirate.
Tourists and Sharjah residents can now experience the magical sights and sounds of Sharjah courtesy of a new bus tour service.
Tourists and Sharjah residents will be able visit the emirate’s top landmarks and attractions following the launch of a new bus tour service.
Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has announced the launch of City Sightseeing Sharjah tour buses which will starts their services on December 15, making 15 stops at tourist and cultural destinations around Sharjah.
The Sharjah sightseeing bus service was launched yesterday at a press conference held at Al Majaz Waterfront. Media and official took the first tour of the city’s signature red double-decker buses.
With the buses being available in five continents and over 99 top tourism destinations across the world, City Sightseeing tour busses is a significant addition to Sharjah’s tourism said Marwan bin Jassim Al Serkal, CEO of Shurooq, Sharjah Investment and Development Authority.
Al Serkal also pointed that there will be no need for advanced bookings, as the bus service will run on a hop-on hop-off service which will allow tourists to enjoy a closer look at sites they would like to spend more time in.
Tickets are set to cost Dh85 for adults, and Dh45 for children, and will have a 24-hour ticket validity giving passengers the choice to get off the bus at any point and then to ‘hop-on’ another bus when they are done with a particular stop. Buses will be operating non-stop all-year-round from 9am till 8pm during weekdays and running till 10pm during weekends and holidays.
The buses will accommodate all conditions in the region, with a convertible rooftop that can be removed during the temperate winter months to create an open top tour experience or kept in place to ensure a fully air-conditioned interior for comfortable summer tours.
The buses will also include an audio guide for passengers which can be used through the headphone available inside the buses, explaining the significance of historical places in German, Russian, English, and Arabic and 5 more to be added in the future which are Chinese, Spanish, Urdu, Indian and French.
With the number of international tourists currently reaching 1.5 million visitors annually, Mohammad Ali Al Noman, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority stressed that Shurooq is constantly working to increase this number through various projects and events.
Stopping at 15 different destinations around Sharjah, the bus tour will include stops at the Central Souq, Marbella Resort Sharjah, Al Noor Mosque, Al Majaz Waterfront, Buhaira Corniche, AlQasba, Sharjah Aquarium, Al Khan Corniche/Beaches, Al Muntazah, the Fish Market, Heart Of Sharjah, Sharjah’s Museum of Islamic Civilization, Radisson BLU Resort, Clock Roundabout, and Mega Mall.
With statistics have revealing that City Sightseeing carried more than 9 million passengers in 2011, in cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Seville, Istanbul, Singapore, Edinburgh, Brussels, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Dublin, Cape Town and Oxfor, the launch of City Sightseeing in Sharjah comes as an important leap for the budding tourism sector of Sharjah.
By Jumana Khamis Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.
