Qatar participates in World Travel Market 2013

Qatar delegation at World Travel Market 2013 Qatar took part in the World Travel Market (WTM) 2013, the biggest global annual event for the travel industry, which kicked off on Monday in London. Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) led the Qatar delegation at the world's largest tourism and hospitality trade show. Qatar is being represented by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Katara, Qatar UK 2013, Qatar Museums Authority, Qatar Airways and The Diplomatic Club, in addition to a range of tour operators and hotels.
These include Century Hotel Doha, InterContinental Doha The City, Retaj Hotels and Hospitality, InterContinental Doha, Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel, Crowne Plaza Doha The Business Park, Best Western Hotel Doha, Wyndham Grand Regency Doha, Doha Marriott Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton Doha, Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel, Sharq Village & Spa, Sealine Beach Resort, Four Communications, Qatar International Adventures and Regency Travel and Tours.
Hosted by QTA, the Qatar pavilion covering 406sqm and with 23 participants will help position Qatar as the worlds upcoming destination and a central hub in the region for business, leisure, culture, education and sports.
Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, chairman of QTA, said: "We have an exceptionally strong presence at this global show, which has participants from 184 countries. We seek to take advantage of our presence to meet with our counterparts to exchange experiences and learn about the latest developments in this industry."
QTA will represent and promote Qatar to the UK and European market by focusing on buyers from the incentive, luxury travel and leisure sectors, among them associations, conference organisers, incentive planners and large group travel organisers. Already known as a progressive business hub, Qatar is well-positioned to take advantage of the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) market in the Middle East, offering state-of-the-art venues with a blend of upscale leisure and cultural attractions.
The Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority said that they were working on providing new touristic products that would benefit the country and private companies. He noted that the State of Qatar was one of the few countries in the world that took small fees from local tourist companies, in order to encourage tourism in Qatar. The authority also signed an agreement with Qatar Airways to activate marketing outside the State of Qatar.
Qatar attracted 40,000 tourists from Europe in 2012, which made Europe the third biggest source of tourists to Qatar for the first time. On the increasing number of tourists from neighboring countries during festive periods, Al Mohannadi said it was a result of great efforts by Qatar to attract a number of tourists. He added that the authority laid down a strategy in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 to achieve that goal.
The number of tourists who visited Qatar up to the third quarter of 2013 exceeded expectations, with 16% growth year-on-year. As for the number of hotel rooms, Al Mohannadi said that the figure currently stands at 14,000 rooms. The figure is set to increase to 20,000 in the next three days. Hotel rooms were fully booked on Eid Al Fitr, and 80% booked on Eid Al Adha.
The Chairman of Qatar Tourism Authority said that they aim to increase the tourism sector's contribution in the national economy to reach 3-4%. The authority is set to participate in the Berlin, Barcelona and Singapore exhibitions for travel and tourism.
Source: QNA