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SALAH SHARAF: He says he has no regrets about joining the family firm.

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RICHARD BRANSON: At the launch of Virgin Galactic.

As Sharaf Travel prepares to expand into new markets we meet its chairman Salah Sharaf.

With the Middle East's travel and tourism industry expected to account for 11% of the region's GDP this year alone, it is no surprise that business is booming for Sharaf Travel.

Salah Sharaf, chairman of Sharaf Group, Travel and Tourism, says the company has had one of its most successful years of business ever so far in 2008. It has also doubled in size in the past five years.

"It's going excellently, I can say," he boasts.

"It's one of the best years that we've had so far and, while some people might complain that there's a lot of competition now, this year has been one of our most successful."

Competition is certainly not something that Sharaf is scared of. The huge growth of the UAE's tourism sectors means that the number of travel operations has expanded rapidly even since Sharaf Travel set up in 1991.

But, says Sharaf, it is only through increased competition that the quality of the service provided by travel companies in the UAE will improve.

"This sort of competition is healthy," he says.

"It makes people think outside the box and deliver good customer service. If there is no competition then there will be no improvement."

Thinking outside the box is what Sharaf Travel and its founder Ibrahim Sharaf specialise in. The company is not afraid to take a risk - hence becoming the sales agent for Virgin Galactic in the region.

And Ibrahim, Sharaf's father and chairman of the Sharaf Group, will be one of the first Arabs to travel to space after buying a ticket last year.

"I think it will be a great experience for him," says Sharaf. "He is an adventurer, he's been to the North and South Poles and he's crossed Siberia all the way, driving from the furthest point in Russia.

"We don't have to worry about him doing this trip - he has a strong heart."

As well as joining the space travel market, the company is also pursuing more down-to-earth opportunities through international expansion and the opening of a chain of Sharia-compliant hotels.

Sharaf reveals that the company hopes to open Sharia hotels in all the markets where it currently operates.

One property will open in October in Dubai, and another in the emirate's Business Bay area next year.

Sharaf says the company will lease out the hotels to management companies. It has not yet come up with a name for the chain.

"These will be luxury four to five-star hotels," he says.

"They will be aimed at a mix of people; both families and business travellers.

"The Sharia-compliant hotels will be in the markets where people know about the Sharia-compliant concept. You cannot open Sharia-compliant hotels somewhere where people don't know about it. You could not open it somewhere like London."

He goes on to say that he believes there will be strong demand for the hotels from visiting Gulf tourists.

"If you look at the demand for Sharia-compliant banking products, and insurance companies, for instance, this shows that there is demand in the market for these types of products.

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