The Malta Tourism Authority, together with Heritage Malta and the Malta Arts Council, is participating at the 15th edition of Sharjah Heritage Days held at the Cultural Heritage Events Centre in Sharjah, UAE.

Celebrating diversity, culture and tradition, the heritage festival was inaugurated on Tuesday 4th April by Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. The festival will run up to April 22nd with events taking place across the emirate.

MTA Chairman Dr Gavin Gulia and CEO Paul Bugeja were among the guests at the festival's inauguration and also visited the Malta stand together with Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi.

Staff from the Malta Tourism Authority, the Gozo Tourism Association and other government agencies, together with representatives from the Malta and Gozo private sector are present on the Malta stand, which is among the largest and busiest, to showcase Maltese culture, folklore, traditions and products.

Commenting on the importance of participating at such events, Mr Bugeja stated that "This is in line with our efforts to diversify our source markets and go beyond those territories from where our tourists traditionally originate. The Middle East, the Gulf States and neighbouring areas, hitherto untapped from a tourism perspective, can offer an alternative source of visitors for our islands. In this regard, a festival such as the one in Sharjah presents a unique opportunity for Malta to reach out to the lucrative UAE market and highlight its tourism offer."

Mr Bugeja concluded by thanking the Sharjah Cultural Centre for the invitation to participate and for the financial support received, as well as the Maltese Ministry for Culture, in particular Dr Ray Bondin for their valuable assistance.

This 15th edition of Sharjah Heritage Days saw the participation of 31 countries including Algeria, Australia, Bahrain, China, Egypt, France, Georgia, Iraq, Italy, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Paraguay, Russia, Maldives, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Yemen.