Doha: Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) has been working to leverage the country’s state-of-the-art sports facilities to bolster Qatar’s position as a world-class sports destination.

In 2019, Doha will host the World Corporate Games, which will be held for the first time in the Middle East and is expected to attract about 8,000 international and local participants. QNTC is also continuing its support for local sports events such as the Esrar Race, AlAdaid Desert Challenge, Doha Triathlon and the Qatar Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP).  This year, Qatar is hosting 131 exhibitions and conferences in various fields. In 2018, Qatar won the rights to host six major business events to be held between 2019 and 2022 with a prospective number of participants reaching up to 2,400.

Local exhibitions continued to attract visitors and participants from Qatar and the world. In this regard, more than 1,000 brands took part in the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, the Arabian Fashion Exhibition and the Qatar Motor Show, attracting more than 65,000 visitors in 2018, Qatar National Tourism Council said while highlighting achievements of Qatar in tourism sector in 2018.

Among the most important developments is the Amiri decree to establish Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani , effectively fast-tracking the development initiatives outlined in the National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS).

QNTC has made significant efforts in diversifying visitor source markets and promoting Qatar as an attractive tourism destination. In 2018, six representative offices were opened in three of the world’s largest visitor source markets – China, India and Russia. According to Euromonitor 2018, Doha was ranked among the Top 100 City Destinations worldwide.

In November 2018, QNTC launched Qatar’s first global destination campaign. Under the tagline ‘Qatar. Qurated for you.’, the campaign brings to life Qatar’s focus on tailored visitor experiences that celebrate its heritage, and is being rolled out in eight languages across 15 existing and targeted priority markets targeting 250 million travellers around the world. Thanks to the numerous steps Qatar has taken to ease visitor access, the UNWTO ranked Qatar as the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open country in the world. And, according to the latest Guest Experience in the Middle East Report, released by hospitality and travel data providers Olery, Qatar’s hospitality sector has further improved its guest experience ranking from first place among the GCC to first place in the Middle East.

Thanks to Doha’s hassle-free locations with magnificent ballrooms and manicured vistas that regularly cater to clients who have an appetite for modern luxury, grand entertainment and mouth-watering delights, Qatar is emerging as an attractive wedding destination for couples looking to tie the knot abroad.

Source: The Peninsula Qatar