Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone
A hub bringing together global publishers in one location
It is being described as the world’s very first publishing Free Zone. Sharjah Publishing City is promising the global book industry the opportunity to capitalize on tax free privileges and access to markets in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. in the first quarter of 2017
Sharjah Publishing City is an initiative of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) book authority. The UAE’s publishing market is estimated to be $233 million and expected to triple in size by 2030. The Arab World collectively imports $1 billion worth of books annually, with the EU currently having a 29% market share.
With the book industry in distress due to disruptive technologies and turbulent market forces, the free zone is promising to be a panacea for publishing.
Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, told Publishing Perspectives:
Sharjah Publishing City [is] going to be the publishing hub of not the Middle East, not just the region, but for the world. It is going to be the hub that brings together publishing, translation, and all aspects of the industry, all together in one location. It is actually 365 days of book fairs in one spot.
The publishing zone will cover approximately 65,000sq.m. and comes equipped with all the latest publishing technology and also includes high speed broadband, furnished and unfurnished office space, conference rooms, storage facilities and secretarial services.
Sharjah is considered to be ‘cultural capital of the Arab World,’ and alone contributes 7.4% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates.
