Qatar’s tourism sector achieves record growth rates

Doha: The State of Qatar’s tourism sector has achieved remarkable growth and significant developments over the past few years in terms of both visitor numbers, development of tourism infrastructure and governance of the tourism sector in order to achieve economic diversification, which is one of the most important objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

The latest statistics showed that the State of Qatar welcomed 1.19 million visitors during the first seven months of 2019, representing a 10.7 percent increase, compared to the same period in 2018.

According to figures on number of visitors, 469.1 thousand (39%) were from Asia and 375.5 thousand (31%) from Europe, while the number of visitors from the GCC during the first seven months of 2019 reached 131.6 thousand visitors (11%).

The Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani had issued in November 4, 2018 the Decision of establishing the National Tourism Council (QNTC) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, launching the beginning of new phase of the development of tourism in Qatar.

Qatar National Tourism Council, with H E Akbar Al Baker as it’s Secretary General, continues to work with its partners from the government and private sectors in the implementation of the national strategy for the tourism sector, which enhances the visitor experience, diversifies local tourism products and offers, promotes promotional efforts, and enhances opportunities for private sector participation in tourism investment.

The issuance of Law No. 20 of 2018 on Tourism Regulation and Law No. 21 of 2018 on organizing business events was of the most important stages of the development of the tourism sector, in which the two laws came to cope with the great development in the tourism sector in terms of structure and management as well as the technical developments including diversifying export markets for visitors and diversifying tourism products and experiences.

The tourism sector has recently undergone rapid development after the opening of QNTC representative offices in the major exporting markets of the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Turkey, Russia, India, China and Southeast Asia. This coincides with the announcement of the World Tourism Organization that the State of Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world.

The cooperation between the National Tourism Council and the World Tourism Organization has been developed to include support for several global initiatives, while the Council has worked to develop and regulate the way the tourism sector operates with a focus on developing the skills and competencies of workers in the sector, in addition to developing the form and content of tourism events and festivals.

The National Tourism Council has also worked to strengthen the State of Qatar’s position as a global business destination and to collaborate with Qatar Tourism Authority QTA’s partners to attract more conferences and exhibitions, as well as supporting companies organizing local exhibitions and events and give them the opportunity to lead the sector. (MORE) The development of the tourism sector in Qatar continues uninterrupted on several axes to include infrastructure, human resources, laws and regulations governing the work of the sector, hospitality, tourist guides, and the development of sub-sectors, such as marine, conference, business and sports tourism.

The National Tourism Council (QNTC)attributed the increase of the number of tourists coming to the State of Qatar this year to the measures taken by the State to facilitate the policies and procedures for obtaining a visa, making the State of Qatar a tourist destination that is open to the world and placing it among the most important competitive markets of tourism in the region and the world.

The State of Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world in term of visa facilitation.

The State’s open visa policies allow nationals of 88 countries to enter Qatar visa-free and to take advantage of the country’s privileged position in the middle of the world and the presence of Qatar Airways’ network of flights to and from more than 170 destinations worldwide.

In this context, the QNTC has organized several tourism events and festivals which represent an important part of the Council’s working mechanism in its endeavor to develop the tourism sector and diversify local events, in addition, to support economic sectors such as retail, hospitality, food and beverages.

These events support entrepreneurs and owners of home-based businesses to develop their brands and market their products.

The QNTC also launched an e-notification system in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior for those wishing to travel to Qatar during the summer season, including relatives, resident friends, former residents of the country, and families to enjoy the summer season in Qatar.

Hospitality offers and discounts played a pivotal role in achieving a significant increase in the overall occupancy rate of all hotels, which reached 40 percent. In June, hotels recorded a 10 percent increase in average occupancy compared to June 2018, while July saw an increase of 4 percent, compared to the same month last year. During the week of Eid Al Adha, average occupancy in all hotels reached 60 per cent, with bookings worth QR 44.5 million.

Qatar International Festival Food also comes as one of the most important festivals popular among residents and visitors alike. The tenth edition of the festival witnessed cooperation between QNTC and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), as the Oxygen Park hosted by the organization of the festival for 11 days, with the participation of 157 pavilions, 12 food trolleys, 37 local and international celebrity chefs, and 90 restaurants. The festival also included workshops and entertainment shows.

Shop Qatar Festival for its part enhances QNTC’s efforts in supporting fashion makers in Qatar, as the third edition witnessed the participation of 14 malls, 54 hotels and 75 temporary stores, while the recent edition witnessed the Design District at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center and Qatar-India Year of Culture.

Thanks to the wise policy of the State of Qatar, the tourism sector in the country has overcome the blockade imposed on the country since 2017. Despite the blockade, tourism rates have achieved remarkable growth at various levels, thanks to the activation of openness plans to global tourism markets such as India, China, Russia, the United States and Germany.

Since the beginning of 2019, Qatar has witnessed a remarkable growth in the number of visitors on an annual and monthly basis. During the first half of this year, the number of visitors grew by 11.5 percent year-on-year to 1.05 million visitors.

In terms of competition across the region, the hospitality sector ranked first for the second consecutive year as the best hospitality sector in the region, according to Guest Experience in the Middle East Report, released by hospitality and travel data providers Olery, which monitored and analyzed more than 12 million guest reviews over the past 12 months from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019.

The private sector contributes to tourism investments, as tourism in Qatar is a growing industry that has succeeded in a short period of time to have an effective role in achieving economic diversification sought by the State, contributing to the GDP, and creating huge investment opportunities.

Areas open to tourism investment in Qatar include business event services, culture, heritage, desert safari services, food, health, well-being, free activities, entertainment, sports, recreation, tourism tours organization, tourist accommodation and transportation services.

The National Tourism Council (QNTC) is actively seeking to attract the right investors to implement projects related to the tourism sector. These projects focus on the completion and expansion of existing facilities and attractive places and the creation of more jobs, in order to diversify and strengthen the tourism infrastructure and services in Qatar.

The Council provides comprehensive services to potential investors and introduces them to opportunities to participate in Qatar’s tourism development efforts. It also provides information on potential projects and coordinates between potential investors and relevant public and private partners.

Qatar’s distinguished investment system plays a significant role in supporting private investment plans in the tourism sector. This was confirmed in the annual report issued by the World Economic Forum on Travel and Tourism Competitiveness, which ranked Qatar 51st globally and 2nd in the Middle East and Africa. Qatar has excelled in the Business Environment index due to its low business taxes and the effectiveness of the administrative structure and the legal umbrella.

Qatar has attracted, in recent years, a number of international investments in various tourism sectors, including the signing of around 17 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) by Katara Hospitality, the National Tourism Council, Qatar Airways and Rixos Hotels with the organizers and operators of international tourism, which currently provide 4 million tourists around the world. The MoUs focus on revitalising Qatar’s tourism and hospitality sector.