More than 1.4 million visitors from 206 nationalities draw the curtain on Sharjah International Book Fair 2025
Sharjah, 17th November / WAM / Yesterday evening, the Sharjah International Book Fair brought down the curtain on the activities of its 44th session after 12 days in which the Emirate of Sharjah turned into a destination for knowledge makers and writers around the world, announcing the attraction of 0,1,400,73 visitors from 206 nationalities and the participation of more than 2,350 publishers and exhibitors from 118 countries, completing the emirate’s civilizational project with its arrival. For the fifth year in a row, it is the largest book fair in the world at the level of buying and selling copyrights, as it brought together during the “Publishers Conference” 1,599 publishers from 116 countries who held 3,321 meetings during 14 working hours over two days.
India, the Emirates, Syria, Egypt and Jordan topped the list of nationalities with the most attendance at the exhibition, respectively. In terms of age groups – with the exception of school students – visitors from the age group between 35 and 44 years constituted the largest percentage at 29%, followed by the group from 25 to 34 years at a rate of 28%, then the youth group from 18 to 24 years at a rate of 15%, and the attendance of the age group from 54 to 60 years reached about 12%. The category under 18 years represented about 11%, the category of 45 to 60 years represented 4%, and 1% for those over 60 years of age, while the exhibition received 125,890 students.
The percentage of men among visitors to the exhibition was 51%, while women represented 49% of the total visitors. The exhibition received by sea transportation 87,674 people who came from the gathering points of Al Qasba and the Aquarium in Sharjah.
The exhibition achieved high satisfaction rates from various categories of visitors and participants, with 96.3% of visitors expressing their satisfaction with their experience at the exhibition, and 90.91% of exhibitors expressing their satisfaction with the level of organization and participation. The satisfaction rate at the Publishers’ Conference in Sharjah reached 97.14%, which reflects the growing confidence in the content and opportunities that the exhibition provides annually.
In a scene that embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to empower knowledge and support the Arab publishing industry, His Highness directed the allocation of 4.5 million dirhams to provide Sharjah public and government libraries with publications from participants in the exhibition, to enhance their content and enrich their sources with modern and diverse Arab and foreign publications, in addition to supporting publishers in the region and various countries of the world.
In the same context, the Sharjah Book Authority, under the direct directives of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and the follow-up of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Authority’s Board of Directors, announced the exemption of Sudanese publishing houses from participation fees in the 44th session, in a step that reflects Sharjah’s commitment to supporting Arab publishers in facing challenges and expanding opportunities for Sudanese literature to reach readers in the region and the world.
His Excellency Ahmed bin Rakad Al Ameri, CEO of the Sharjah Book Authority, said: In its 44th session, the Sharjah International Book Fair presented an experience that focused on the reader as the main focus of knowledge. Through the slogan (Between You and the Book), visitors lived a personal experience with reading, as each reader found a living space that interacted with it in his own way and discovered through it what expresses himself and feeds his cognitive curiosity.
He added that the cultural diversity that the exhibition witnessed by welcoming visitors from 206 nationalities shaped Sharjah’s established position as a global center for human dialogue, reflecting the vision of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, who believed that the book is the basis for building a human being intellectually and socially. Through the directives of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairwoman of the Authority’s Board of Directors, the Authority adopts a clear message that the exhibition is a space where knowledge meets culture, words meet experience, and the reader finds in it what nourishes his thought and strengthens his connection with the world around him.
The exhibition also celebrated Greece as the guest of honor for its 44th session, presenting visitors with a diverse cultural program that highlighted Greece’s contributions to the march of human civilization.
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