Promoting tourism is a thrust area for Qatar, aiming to elevate the sector’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product to 12 percent as stated by the national strategy for tourism. Working towards this, HE Chairman of Qatar Tourism (QT) Saad bin Ali bin Saad Al Kharji has mentioned that through the optimum investment in natural elements available in Qatar and upgrading its tourist infrastructure and facilities, the country has succeeded in furthering tourism, at home and abroad.
As of 2023, Qatar has hosted 4 million tourists from various nationalities, as announced by HE Chairman of QT Saad bin Ali Al Kharji in his opening speech during the 26th session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism, amply proving that Qatar has become a distinctive tourist destination. This is clearly on the back of Qatar holding a record of hosting and organising major global events and tournaments such as AFC Asian Cup, Shop Qatar, Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, Katara International Arabian Horse Festival, Qatar Economic Forum 2024, Formula 1 Grand Prix 2024, Autonomous e-mobility Forum and the world’s biggest technology conference, Web Summit Qatar.
The objective is to host 6 million tourists by 2030 and QT, with its active partners in the domestic market, will have a massive work to do in the upcoming years.
Evidence to the country’s thrust of promoting tourism as one of the key sectors lies in the fact that sector-specific events such as EuroCHRIE Qatar 2024 and Hospitality Qatar – both planned for November 2024 – are already being promoted through search engines.
Qatar possesses all elements of tourist attraction that best suit a variety of cultures, in terms of the right blend of natural reserves, ancient castles, public beaches, public gardens and parks, inveterate museums and restaurants, which are beefed up by a plethora of international resorts and hotels, traditional markets, and major commercial complexes that make Qatar an ideal destination for visitors and residents to spend vacations with their families.
Anthony Fernando, director – valuations, ValuStrat Qatar has been quoted as saying, “In Q4 2023, Qatar’s hotel and tourism sector showcased an exemplary performance underpinned by the city’s strategic initiatives and world-class hospitality standards.”
He said: “With an influx of international tourists of around 4 million visitors, attracted by cultural festivals, sporting events, and business conferences, Doha’s hotels enjoyed steady growth in occupancy rates, averaging at 58 percent.”
He further stated the final quarter of the year also noticed momentous progress in “sustainable tourism practices”, which comes under Qatar’s long-term national strategy vision for environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
Fernando remarked, “The government’s continued investment in infrastructure, including the expansion of Hamad International Airport and enhancement of public transportation, further facilitated tourist mobility and accessibility.”
National strategy for tourism
The national strategy for tourism primarily aims to double the employment process in the hotel sector and make Qatar one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the Middle East. Towards this, Qatar has invested in the state-of-the-art infrastructure that helps the country host major events and visitors effectively.
There are utilities dedicated to meetings and conferences in 128 facilities with the space of 70,000 sq m, he said, pointing out that QT has strived during the past years to intensify efforts in quest for advancing the tourist sector in collaboration with its partners in the public and private sectors.
2024 plans of QT
Bolster the MICE sector in Qatar;
Develop special programmes for specific markets as well as aircraft charters programmes to attract visitors from some selected countries;
Reinforce trade activity in priority markets with major tourist agencies through increasing the number of their representative offices;
Participate in international trade exhibitions;
Promote the experience of hospitality and entertainment for visitors and residents through establishing a hotline dedicated to serving local and international tourists;
Optimising e-service to streamline the browsing of calendar events.
Cooperate with all parties relevant to attracting the highest aptitudes in tourism sector and applying job nationalisation policy with the aim of increasing the percentage of the Qatari manpower through creating job opportunities and bolstering the citizens’ capabilities.
