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THE State of Qatar sponsors the tourist sector and provides it with all the required facilities and incentives to keep pace with the development witnessed by

various economic sectors of the country. In recent years, Qatars interest in

the sector of tourism increased remark-ably, particularly after Doha became the regional capital of policy, thought, econ-omy and media forums in addition to its ongoing organisation and hosting of artistic events, regional and global sports tour-naments. Besides, Doha organises other international events, fairs and shopping festivals which require distinct tourist services for Qatar visitors coming from all parts of the world.

In this context, Qatars hotel industry has made impressive progress to meet the needs of tourism, travel and airlines services. Hence, Qatar became one of the leading countries in the world in provid-ing the best tourist services on its modern airline fleet.

The Qatar Tourism Authority organises, enables, and supervises tourism industry development in Qatar, as well as represent and promote Qatar as a quality tourism destination for leisure, business, education,

and sport. The overall strategy of QTA is to bring Qatar to the world and the world to Qatar. QTA markets and promotes Qatar as a safe and welcoming destination in the heart of the Arabian Gulf. In addition, QTA promotes the country as a family travel destination and an ideal place for wellness vacations with a focus on culture, natu-ral environment, and outdoor pursuits.

Qatar is situated in the Heart of the Arabian Gulf which not only describes its geographical location but also the importance given to the countrys Arabian culture, heritage and warm hospitality. At a conference or exhibition a visitor can enjoy Qatars year round sunshine, diversity of activities, friendly people and relaxing atmosphere.

The Qatar Experience is a unique blend of adventure, leisure and Arabian tradition, from desert dune driving to exciting water sports, from fascinating museums to traditional markets. Qatar offers world-class hotels, restaurants and spa facilities and activities for all the fam-ily in a safe and secure environment.

With Qatars sophisticated meeting facilities, infrastructure and security, the country is well-positioned to host events of any size. Conference organisers will enjoy the ease of coordinating successful meetings and conferences, in addition to the first-class hotels and facilities avail-able, Qatar offers beautiful scenery and wonderful shopping in a relaxing envi-ronment a wonderful combination of business and pleasure.

Qatar welcomes its visitors in world class reputation and high standard hotels like the Sheraton, the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, the InterContinental, Movenpick, the Marriott, the Sealine Beach Resort and

Al Sharq Village and Spa, to name a few. Life in Qatar had always been a story

of sea and desert. Both were a source of livelihood despite all the hardships the Qataris faced. Today, the sea and the desert are still the source of wealth and a desti-nation for anyone looking for an enjoyable day away from the hustle and bustle of modern day-to-day life.

They are also the backbone of tour-ism industry in Qatar: The sea with its calm beaches and its warm waters and the desert with its vista of endless stretches and marvels of nature as well as man-made wonders.

Doha is the capital of Qatar where almost 80 percent of the population live. It is the hub of cultural, business and eco-nomic activities of the country. The city reflects the countrys cultural identity and its rapid development. Among places that a vistor should not miss: A calm bay embracing the edges of the mainland. The Corniche, virtually the lung of the city, is a destination for people.

Doha thrives with many tradtitional souqs where visitors can discover the spirit of a truly oriental way of shopping. The falconry souq is worth visiting to have a look at the impressive falcons with their charm, beauty and the unimaginable prices paid for them.

Next to the falconry shops stands the camel market. In the old traditional souqs of Doha the exotic smells of spices, coffees mixed with the heady scent of cardamom, and medicinal herbs fill the air.

With every step, all shops of handi-crafts, oriental textiles and glittering gold entice the visitor to have a look or hag-gle over prices. At the end of your tour, you might refresh yourself with a glass

of tea mixed with rosewater, or a cup of Arabian or Turkish coffee with carda-mom flavour while sitting back in one of the traditional coffee shops scattered around town.

While traditional markets are consid-ered prominent tourist attractions, Doha city includes several state-of-art shopping complexes, making shopping a pleasure for individuals and families accompany-ing their children.

These complexes include entertain-ment facilities for children, restaurants and cinemas, Internet cafes and areas for ice hockey or ice skating. From time to time artistic shows and events are held there, as well as shopping festivals where attractive offers prizes are presented.

The main shopping centres in Qatar are: The City Center Shopping Complex, The Mall Shopping Center, the LuLu, Hyatt Plaza, Villaggio, Land Mark, and the Ezdan Mall to name a few.

Not to forget is The Pearl-Qatar. This is a multi billion man-made island cov-ering 400 hectares of reclaimed land offshore of Qatar, the Arab worlds wealthiest per capita country. The Pearl-Qatar is the countrys first inter-national real estate venture, its largest real estate development and the first to offer international investors freehold. It is a four-phase mixed-use develop-ment comprising 10 distinct, themed districts housing beachfront villas, ele-gant town homes, luxury apartments, exclusive penthouses, 5-Star hotels, mari-nas, schools as well as upscale retail and restaurant offerings. It will be a destina-tion in its own right a lavish, secure and exclusive island retreat with a Rivi-era-style community.

Extending warm hospitality to all

MAAINN SSPPOONSSOORRSS

Travel & TourismPAGE | VI PAGE | XQatar Airways: Going PlacesTogether

Record 8.4million travellers transit HIA

The Qatar Experience is a unique blend of adventure, leisure and Arabian tradition, from desert dune driving to exciting water sports, from fascinating museums to traditional markets. Qatar offers world-class hotels, restaurants and spa facilities and activities for all the family in a safe and secure environment.

PICTURE: SAJAD SAHIR PICTURE: SALIM MATRAMKOT

THE Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) recently released its achievement report shedding light on the perform-ances of the Authority last year. The report showed significant growth in the number of foreign visitors, which rose by by 8 percent compared with 2014. This is in addition to notable development and per-formance in hospitality sector, especially 4-Star hotels and normal hotel apartments compared to the previous year.

The share of the GCC states, which is the biggest market exporting tourist to Qatar, increased by 22 percent in 2015 compared to the year before. The growth was primarily dominated by an increase in visitor arrivals from Saudi Arabia, which grew by 31 percent in 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.

The significant increase was in March last year at 82 percent compared to the same month of the previous year. Tourists from the United Arab Emirate also increased by 13 per-cent, while tourists from Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman rose by 7 percent, 9 percent, and 2 per-cent respectively.

The second big growth in tourists outside GCC was from China at 16 percent, France at 9 percent and USA at 2 percent.

The continued demand growth in the sec-tor is also evident from data released on hotel performance. Overall occupancy rates have grown. The statistics of the first nine months in 2015 showed strong performance hotel apart-ments, which rose by by more than 76 percent compared to 71 percent in hotel sector.

GCC Ministers in charge of tourism meet

Minister of Economy and Commerce H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed Al Thani chaired the second meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministers in charge of tourism. The meeting was attended by Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, President of the Board of Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage. The meeting approved a number of recommendations focused on boost-ing tourism sector in member countries. Among the recommendations approved was one on the celebration of the capital of Gulf tourism in Manama to highlight tourism potentials in each GCC member state, increasing awareness about the importance of tourism and create opportunities for the development of the sec-tor and its projects and related services.

The recommendations also focused on the development of joint action between the pub-lic and private sectors in the tourism field. The meeting stressed the importance of preparing a strategy for joint tourism action in the GCC,

along with coordinating regional and interna-tional cooperation in the field of tourism and intensifying efforts for intra tourism devel-opment and strengthening cooperation in the field of exhibitions and conferences.

The GCC ministers in charge of tourism inaugurated the first annual GCC Handicrafts Exhibition under the theme Our Handcrafts are Woven with the Thread of our Heritage at Sheraton Doha Hotel Al Majlis Hall. The exhi-bition from October 6-10 came after an initial agreement made during the first GCC Tourism Ministerial Meeting, which took place in Kuwait last year. The meeting decided to organise exhi-bition to portray GCCs culture and heritage in order to increase cultural attractions and boost tourism. The meeting also witnessed the sign-ing of joint cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Tourism of Oman to boost tourism sector between the two countries.

Promotion of tourism globally

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) disclosed the first sub-commercial brand Qatar Destination Brand for business events after it successfully unveiled its new global brand campaign to global audiences at the World Travel Market in London on November 2, 2015. The aim of launching two brands at the worlds most highly attended global expo was to ensure maximum exposure and unify promotion efforts of con-cerned partners in tourism and business events in Qatar and introduce the countrys tourism facilities.

QTA participated in the Arab Market (ATM) held in Dubai from May 4-7, 2015. The 2015 edition of ATM brought tourism and travel sec-tor from six continents and featured seminars, debates and workshops that provided topical and forward thinking as well as insightful con-tent from industry pioneers.

QTA participated in tourism exhibitions and events promoting tourism at regional and global levels such as the IMEX exhibition in Frankfurt from May 19-21, 2015. QTA also participated Gulf Incentive Business Travel and Meeting Exhibition (GIBTM) held in Dubai from May 16-18 last year. It also participated in IBTM exhibition in Barcelona from Novem-ber 18 to 20, 2015.

QTA has also maximised its presence by opening more representative offices in worlds leading tourism markets. QTA opened its 6th office in Italy in November. It has also plan to open more offices in USA and Turkey. The move comes after opening offices in Berlin, London, Paris and two branches in Saudi Ara-bia in Riyadh and Jeddah, in addition to an office in Singapore.

QTA adopted international marketing plans which suit each of the representative offices abroad. It invited journalists from the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the GCC states to conduct tourism tours in Qatar to get to know about Qatars tour-ism potentials.

The Telegraph group launched in Decem-ber tourism applications on smart phones, IPad and tablets directed to British tourists interested in visiting Qatar. Qatar was the first country in the Middle East for which the group launched this app which include valuable information about tourism sector in Qatar.

QTA also welcomed the members of Paris St Germain Club team and administrative staffs who established summer training camp in Doha in 2014. In 2015 Paris St Germain also arrived to Qatar as part of winter tour and established training camp and played friendship match with Real Madrid. QTA also hosted a team of 11 players from the Paris old club as part of training and cultural and tourism tour in Doha.

Developments in marine tourism

Qatars accession to the Cruise Arabia was important event for the promotion of Qatar and other GCC states as sea tourism destina-tions. Arabia Cruise Alliance was formed in 2013 to promote the growth of cruise tourism in the GCC by Sultanate of Oman; Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and Dubais Department of Tourism and Commerce Mar-keting. Qatar also hosted for the first time the Seatrade Middle East Cruise 2015, in Decem-ber last year. QTA along with its partners in the Cruise Arabia Alliance has participated

in the Seatrade Convention for Marine Tour-ism held in Miami, USA, from March 16 to 19 last year. The aim of the participation was to strengthen the position of Qatar as a major tourist destination for marine tourism.

Qatar will receive 8 ships this season, including Island Sky, a Noble Caledonia ship that will be the first to dock in the Old Doha Port as part of the Cruise Arabia Alliance. A delegation from Qatar Tourism Authority led by Hassan Al-Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Devel-opment Officer, heads to the German city of Hamburg to attend the Seatrade Europe Cruise and River Cruise Convention.

QTAs participations in conferences

Doha hosted meeting of GCC ministers in charge of tourism, and the meeting resulted in a number of recommendations including launch-ing of the GCC Tourism Capital. A delegation of QTA participated in the 21st UN World Tour-ism Organisations General Assembly meeting, held September 17, 2015 in the Colombian city of Medellin. QTA hosted the international con-ference Art for Tomorrow in Doha on March 14-16. QTA along with the Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage, and the Supreme Commit-tee for Delivery and Legacy, represented Qatar in the fifth edition of the Gulf Heritage Village Festival in Kuwait in February 2015.

QTA also own a number of prestigious regional and global awards. Qatar has won the right to host the official World Tourism Day (WTD) 2017 celebrations, which will be held under the theme, Sustainable Tourism a Tool for Development. The announcement was made following a vote of the 21st UN World Tourism Organisations General Assembly, held in the Colombian city of Medellin. QTA also won the award of the Best Arab Government Tourism Authority 2015 at the seventh Arab Tourism Media Awards held in Muscat.

QTA received award for Leading Business Travel Destination at the Middle East edition of 22nd Annual World Travel Awards 2015, held in the Four Seasons Resort at Jumeirah Beach,

Dubai on May 6. Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) honoured QTA for supporting the initiative of Tarsheed in ceremony held in the Sheraton Doha on April 23, 2015.

QTA was recognized for its efforts during this years Earth Hour celebration which annu-ally organized to raise awareness about the risks of pollutions, climate changes and glo-bal warming. Qatar ranked as the second most competitive travel and tourism destination in the MENA region by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in its Travel and Tourism Competitive-ness Report 2015 issued in Davos, Switzerland on May 6.

Qatarisation process

QTA led the Qatarisation process. At present, Qataris represent 71 percent of the manpower in the Authority. QTA launched in collaboration with Qatar University (QU) Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) comprehen-sive survey to understand and analyse tourism activities of Qatars residents within the coun-try. The domestic tourism survey, which will be conducted in four phases, aims to under-stand and analyse sector-specific spending activities among residents in Qatar.

During Ramadan, QTA conducted an inspec-tion and evaluation process, paying visits to Ramadan tents, hotels and other tourism estab-lishments to assess quality and compliance with local customs and traditions and Islamic values. Inspectors checked the quality of food, the diversity of dishes and their presentation at Iftar and Suhour.

QTA and STR Global a leading data pro-vider, signed an agreement to provide hotel establishments across Qatar with access to timely data and in-depth analysis on their indi-vidual performance in comparison to market competitors as well as international benchmarks.

Specialised incubator

QTA, Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Qatar Business Incubation Center joined together in an initiative to develop specialised incubator to encourage and support aspiring entrepre-neurs, small and medium enterprises in the tourism sector.

Capacity Building

QTA organised World Tourism Organisation, Regional Conference and Executive Training Workshop in Qatar on e-marketing in tourism. QTA organised in March a regional workshop with UFI to review UFI rules and regulations covering international procedures and clas-sification of exhibitions under MICE, which would now apply to exhibitions being held in Qatar. QTA also sponsored training workshops at the level of Middle East in collaboration with Josoor Institute.

QTA and World Tourism Organisation suc-cessfully concluded the first phase of regional program for capacity building which included three educational packages on the key skills needed for developing tourism strategies, developing tourism product and tourism invest-ment. The programme hosted 200 participants from both public and private sectors from the MENA region. QTA hosted in March the Inter-national Congress and Convention Association ( ICCA) workshop on organising and sponsor-ing international association meetings. QTA in collaboration with World Tourism Organ-isation also organised a training course on human resources development.

More foreign visitors arrive in QatarQatar Tourism Authority outlines several achievements made last year

QTA has also maximised its presence by opening more representative offices in worlds leading tourism markets

PICTURE: QASSIM RAHMATULLAH

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THE Torch Doha has performed excellently in 2015. The hotel occupancy percentage was one of the highest among the Five-Star hotels in Doha as well as being the top serv-ice provider.

The Torch Doha continued to achieve success and maintained standards as being the top service pro-vider in Doha among our hospitality service provider competitors throughout 2015. This can be seen with the following awards that the hotel has received in 2015 as well as the reports from the Guest Satisfac-tion Index Scores of Medallia & Olery (Performance Index as well as Social Media Scores).

Awards 2015: 1. 2015 World Luxury Hotel Awards: Country

Winner - Luxury Business Hotel2. 2015 Hotel of the Year Awards: Best Sports

Hotel Worldwide 3. 2015 Hotel of the Year Awards: Best Hotel After-

noon Tea Worldwide 4. 2015 Hotel of the Year Awards: Top 100 Hotel

Worldwide 5. Hospitality Qatar (Salon Culinaire Chefs Com-

petition) 2015: 12 medals (out 14 participants) 6. Qatar Tourism Authority Award for achiev-

ing High Standards and Quality of Services in The Hotel Quality Rating System of the State of Qatar.

7. Qatar Tourism Authority Award for fulfilling Special Needs Criteria. The selection process was based on hotels compliance with a code drafted in collaboration between QTA and the Shafallah Cen-tre for Children with Special Needs

8. TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence 2015 -Recognised as a Top Performing Hotel

9. Best International Hotel in Qatar, International Hotel Awards 2014-2015,London, UK

10. Best Hotel Arabia, International Hotel Awards

The Torch Doha stays on top

2014-2015, London, UK11. KUFIC Lounge Favourite Tea Room in Doha, FACT Din-

ing Awards 201512. ISO Certificate 9001 : 2008

MILANO Travel was estab-lished in 2007 with the aim of meeting the needs of Qatari market. The travel agency takes part in different local and global tourism events and activities. Keeping this in view, the travel agency has kept up with new developments, latest technology and programmes, in addition to building the capacity of its staff through constant training and updating them. This to deliver bet-ter services to the customers granting them best booking offers.

Milano Travel General Manager Ali S Thabet (pictured) said: Our travel agency is characterised by its leave section which gained great experience in the past eight years. This section has realised develop-ment by around 12 percent every year. The section of ticket and booking has satisfactory offers that suit customers

interests and their capabilities.The travel agency said that it is

keen to participate in local events and activities such as the National Day, Sport Day and other festivals. It worth mentioning that Qatar Air-ways, which constantly maximises its presence in the world of travel and has obtained international awards for service excellences, has managed to promote the concept of internal and external tourism. The carrier has sig-nificantly expanded the tourism sector by reaching more than 150 destina-tions all over the world.

Last but not the least, is not possible to pass without mentioning the efforts exerted by Qatar Tourism Authority

to introduce local tourism outputs by attending inter-national events and playing effective role in promoting tourism sector.

Milano Travel: Keeping up with times

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Qatar Airways (QA) has achieved a 20 percent growth in its fleet last year, along with other major achievements.

Akbar Al Baker, Chief Executive, QA Group, said: As 2015 comes to an end, QA is able to reflect on successes throughout the year, while celebrat-ing the launch of our new global brand campaign and latest on board safety video. This has been a momentous way to end what has been a truly his-toric year for Qatars national carrier, which has seen, among others, several top award wins, the forging of new partnerships, strong engagement on social media, the launch of a brand new aircraft type and the start of sev-eral new routes on its passenger and cargo networks.

Qatar Airways launched its new global brand campaign and tagline Going Places Together in New York. This is a new and fresh direction for the airline, which has developed a messag-ing strategy to reflect its evolution as

a brand and its role as a leader in the airline industry. The campaign plays on the theme of achieving great things together whether for work, for fam-ily or for adventure, and encourages passengers to take journeys that will help them achieve their dreams and ambitions.

The new campaign captures the essence of the Qatar Airways brand, which is all about inclusiveness and bringing people together. One of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world, Qatar Airways has adopted the emo-tive and modern brand campaign to reflect its core values as a contempo-rary and innovative company that is

really going places and wants nothing more than to inspire its passengers to do the same.

At the heart of the campaign is the concept of the airline connecting peo-ple both physically and emotionally with any of the 153 places on its glo-bal network on board one of its 173 state-of-the-art aircraft. The theme of connectivity extends to the warm wel-come every passenger receives when they board a Qatar Airways flight from the friendly and helpful cabin crew who are hand-picked for their natural ability to make personal connections with every passenger they meet.

The airline also created a buzz with its fresh and unique on board safety

video featuring FC Barcelonas La Liga players like Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic and Javier Mascherano.

Scenes from the video show the players bringing important safety mes-sages to life in a uniquely FC Barcelona way, including Suarez taking to the pitch in a life vest, Pique causing a stir as he arrives and demonstrates the brace position.

Filmed mainly at Camp Nou Sta-dium, the home of FC Barcelona, the video features familiar sights for fans such as the pitch, the stands, the chang-ing rooms and the team bus.

The airline started 2015 as the glo-bal launch customer of the A350, the

latest in aircraft design by Airbus. With this, QA became the first in the world to operate every family of Airbus mod-ern airliner portfolio, comprising the A320, A330, A340, A350 and A380. During 2015, QA added 29 aircraft to the fleet, increasing the number by 20 percent, reflecting the airlines signif-icant growth and expansion.

It also launched eight destinations last year Abha, Amsterdam, Durban, Nagpur, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot and Zanzibar.

QA witnessed a 17 percent passen-ger growth, touching 24 million, for the first nine months last year on year-on-year basis and the number is expected to hit 30 million by the year-end.

During the 2010/11 financial year, Qatar Airways carried over 16 mil-lion passengers worldwide, hit over 17 million passengers in 2011/2012, and surpassed 18 million during the 2012/13 financial year. The airline carried over 26 million passengers in 2014/15.

Qatar Airways secured another digital milestone as the five-star air-line became the worlds first to pass the 10-million-fan mark on Facebook, reaf-firming its position as the worlds most popular airline on the most popular

social media network. The airline first became the most popular carrier ever on Facebook when it passed eight mil-lion fans in December 2014, and has held the title consistently since.

Qatar Airways: Going Places Together

Akbar Al Baker (centre), Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways; Gunter Saurwein (right), QA Vice-President, Americas; and Deborah Flint, Executive Director, Los Angeles World Airports, at a press conference.

The airline started 2015 as the global launch customer of the A350, the latest in aircraft design by Airbus. It also launched eight destinations last year Abha, Amsterdam, Durban, Nagpur, Faisalabad, Multan, Sialkot and Zanzibar

Qatar Airways secured another digital milestone as the ve-star airline became the worlds rst to pass the 10-million-fan mark on Facebook, reaffirming its position as the worlds most popular airline on the most popular social media network

Qatar Airways was named Asia Pacific Airline of the Year at 2015 CAPA Avi-ation Awards for Excellence held in Singapore recently. Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Exec-utive, said: To be named CAPA Asia Pacific Airline of the year rounds off a big year of award wins for Qatar Airways. It is truly an honour when our efforts and accomplishments are recognised by our peers for they know what it takes to be an industry leader. We have made great strides in consolidating our leadership in the aviation business this past year, and much of the credit goes to the entire team at Qatar Airways who bring our award-winning prod-uct and service to life each and every day.

The CAPA Asia Pacific Airline of the Year award was given to the airline that has been the biggest standout strategically during the year, has had the greatest impact on the devel-opment of the airline industry, established itself as a leader, and provided a benchmark for oth-ers to follow.

Qatar Airways has pursued rapid growth over the last year, launching over 10 new des-tinations and adding capacity to numerous existing destinations, said CAPA Executive Chairman Harbison. Other milestones from 2014 included moving to a new hub airport in Doha, taking delivery of its first A380 and becoming the launch operator of the A350.

In 2014, the carrier added 11 new desti-nations to its network and was subsequently awarded Worlds Best Airline, Best Business Class Airline Seat, and Best Airline in the Middle East at the annual Skytrax 2015 World Airline Awards earlier in June.

Qatar Airways has also been named Best Middle East Airline Serving China at the 2015 Business Traveller China Awards, picking up the award for the fourth consecutive year.

Qatar Airways started operations in China in 2003, with Shanghai being the first port of call. Since then, Qatar Airways has expanded to seven cities in Greater China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Chengdu and Hangzhou, with 45 weekly non-stop flights to Doha, connecting passengers seamlessly to more than 150 des-tinations globally.

Besides continued success at the Business Traveller China Awards, Qatar Airways was also recently recognised as Best Full Service Airline in Western Asia at the Future Travel Experience Asia Expo, 2015, and Best Airline, Best Business Class Airline and Best Middle Eastern Airline at the Business Traveller Awards held in Lon-don. The airline also received the Airline of the Year, Best Business Class Airline Seat and Best Airline in the Middle East at the 2015 Sky-trax Awards. This is the third time the airline has won the accolade of Airline of the Year.

Qatar Airways, the national carrier of Qatar, is one of the fastest growing airlines operating one of the youngest fleets in the world. Now in its 18th year of operations, Qatar Airways flies to 152 key business and leisure destina-tions across six continents.

At the Dubai Airshow last year, Qatar Air-ways displayed three of its aircraft, the A380, A350, for which it was the global launch cus-tomer, and a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, its 25th of this aircraft type, delivered directly from Boeing to the show.

The A380 entered service with Qatar Air-ways last autumn and Qatar Airways received the A350 as Global Launch Customer in Decem-ber 2014. The A350, which entered service in January, now flies double-daily to Frankfurt, triple-daily to Singapore and daily to Munich. The Business Class cabin has 36 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration featuring an 80-inch full flat bed and 17-inch HD in-flight entertainment screen and a spacious inflight bar.

Economy Class features 247 18-inch wide seats in a 3-3-3 configuration, each with a 10.6-inch

in-flight entertainment screen, and more space at shoulder level for passengers in window seats due to the vertical side wall panel design. The 517-seat A380 aircraft comprising of First, Busi-ness and Economy Class over two decks, is the largest passenger jet in the world, and currently flies to Bangkok, Paris and London from Doha in the State of Qatar. The new First Class A380 features a seat with a 90-inch pitch that trans-forms into a fully-flat bed and has up to 2,000 entertainment options displayed on individual HD 26-inch television screens.

More destinations and more awards

Tourism is one of the fastest growing sectors in Qatar and its share in gross domestic product (GDP) was four percent of non-

extraction (non-oil) economy in 2013. GDP is a measure of the size of the national economy. It is estimated that tourism provides 70,000 jobs in Qatar.

Our long-term strategy is to increase tourisms contribution to Qatars economy to 5.1 percent, and up to 9.7 percent of non-hydrocarbon economy by 2030, said Hassan Abdul-rahman Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), at World Export Devel-opment Forum 2015.

With the support of QTAs public and private sector partners, tens of millions of dollars have been invested in upgrading and developing needed infrastructure to support the sectors expansion.

In 2014, Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy was launched which sets a clear path for development of the sector through 2030 by identifying four key focus areas: Urban, business, cultural and sports tourism.

The other aspect of the strategy is to expand the portfolio of year-round expos, shows, conferences and busi-ness events. Since the launch of the strategy, we have welcomed over five million international visitors to Qatar and are on track to achieve the mile-stone of three million annual visitors by 2015-end. That represents an average annual growth of 14 percent between 2009 and 2014, making Qatar one of the worlds fastest growing destina-tions. Also, Qatars hospitality sector offers huge growth potential for afford-able hotels mainly 2-star and 3-star hotels. Currently the countrys hospi-tality market is dominated by 4- and 5-star hotels. The sector in Qatar now provides approximately 17,900 keys, of which 84 percent are either 4-star or 5-star.

There is potential for growth for 2- and 3-star hotels in Qatar. Major-ity of supply in Qatar, coming in next 18-24 months, consist of 4- and 5-star hotels, said Johnny Archer, Associate Director, Consulting and Research, DTZ

Qatar. Qatar has now emerged as a major centre in the region for financial activities. It has created state-of-the-art infrastructure to host international conferences and exhibitions, which work in favour of hospitality sector in general and affordable hotels in particular.

Qatar has invested a lot in build-ing conference and exhibition centres which have generated strong demand for business visits. Several profession-als coming on business visits like to stay for a night or two in relatively affordable hotels, said Archer.

In total, 11 new hotels have opened in 2015, adding approximately 1,400 rooms to the hospitality sector. These new hotels have increased the overall number to 118, including apartment hotels. Qatars hospitality sector is poised to witness strong growth in coming years. According to data from QTA, approvals are in place for more than 120 more hotel establishments in Qatar, which if realised will increase the level of supply to approximately 35,000 keys. DTZs research has

identified 30 new hospitality devel-opments that are under construction and should increase supply in the mar-ket by approximately 10,000 keys over the next three years.

The Qatar National Tourism Sec-tor Strategy Plan 2030 has set out a programme to invest $45bn in tour-ism projects over the next 15 years, which will aim at attracting a larger amount of tourist numbers from out-side GCC, with an ambitious target to increase overall. Qatar is the sec-ond most tourism friendly destination in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has ranked the country as the second most competitive travel and tourism destination in Mena in its 2015 Travel and Tourism Compet-itiveness Report.

Across the 14 dimensions, Qatar scored highly on a supportive Business Environment (ranking 3rd globally), Safety and Security (2nd globally), Human Resources and Labour Market (14th globally), and Price Competi-tiveness (19th globally).

Hospitality sector poised for growth

PICTURES: SAJAD SAHIR , KAMMUTTY VP

He said the GCC has become one of the three main winter cruise desti-nations in the world. Estimates show that Qatar is set to be a promising des-tination for cruise tourism which offers enormous opportunities, he added.

Hassan Al Ibrahim also said that at least 6,000 rooms on cruise ships will be provided for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

QTA is committed to providing at least 6,000 rooms on cruise ships for the 2022 FIFA World Cup competition in

the redeveloped Doha Port reinforc-ing cruise tourism as one of our most exciting and enduring legacies, he said.

Al Ibrahim stressed Qatar places huge importance on the cruise indus-try, both to diversify the tourism sector and Qatars overall economy.

There are long-term plans to upgrade the countrys infrastructure, all of which will enable us to tap into the potential of cruise tourism by develop-ing Qatars ports. We are building our

infrastructure and human capital; we have a new destination brand that con-solidates the industrys efforts to attract more visitors; and, we are diversifying and enhancing the products and serv-ices across the entire industry.

For our part, QTA is working with partners across the public and private sectors, to plan, regulate, develop and promote the tourism sector, with the aim of achieving growth that is both exponential and sustainable.

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Qatar is expected to receive over 50,000 cruise tourists in the 2016/2017 cruising season. We are having discussions with executive directors of marine tourism compa-nies in preparation for the season during which we expect more than 50,000 tourists and over 130,000 in the coming year, Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), said yesterday.

Al Ibrahim told the opening of the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Forum in December that Qatar had received hundreds of tourists through Cruise Arabia Alliance and five ships are expected arrive in the country in the current season which began in Octo-ber and ends in April next year.

He said QTA, in partnership with various sectors, is exerting efforts to develop cruise tourism as an important sector and provide visitors a differ-ent experience. We are working with partners in Qatar Ports Management Company (Mwani) to benefit from the new port for us to be able to host big ships visiting Qatar.

In 2016, we are going to work on renovating Doha Port to receive big ships carrying more visitors. We are also receiving support from the

Ministry of Economy and Commerce, the Ministry of Interior and the private sector to provide good experience to visitors from the time they arrive until they leave the country, he stressed.

Capt Abdallah Al Khanji, CEO, Mwani, said they are cooperating with QTA as they prepare to welcome the first cruise ships of 2016 and the focus is on small and medium cruise ships. We would like to transform Doha Port into one that concentrates on receiv-ing tourists. We would like to have an integrated kind of port that would guarantee high-level services and this will enable Qatar to have a distinc-tive position in the GCC as one of the

most important cruise destinations.The summit and conference

brought together 12 global cruise line executives and regional stake-holders to discuss topics, including diversifi-cation of regional shore excursions and challenges facing regional tour operators. Al Ibrahim said the sum-mit comes at a very important time in the global tourism industry which has seen growth in various sectors, espe-cially in newer destination markets.

50,000 cruise tourists likely this seasonQTA, in partnership with various sectors, is exerting efforts to develop cruise tourism as an important sector and provide visitors a different experience.

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The Hamad International Airport (HIA) saw a record 8.4 million passengers during the third quarter of last year, showing a 23 percent increase com-pared to the same period the previous

year. HIA saw 8,405,831 visitors pass through its gates during the three months from July to September last year, with the highest number of passengers in August.

A senior HIA official attributed the record rise to the launch of several new flights from the airport during the summer and an increase in frequency of flights by a number of airlines to meet the increased demand.

According to official data, HIA saw a total of 2,701,958 passengers departing, arriving and transiting in July. In August, a record 3,025,641 passengers travelled through HIA, an unprec-edented figure for a month, both at HIA as well as its previous hub, Doha International Air-port, HIA said. The month of September saw 2,678,232 passengers.

The turnout shows a significant increase compared to the same period the previous year, which saw 6,837,454 passengers travelling through HIA, including 2,160,843 passengers in July; 2,475,340 in August and 2,201,271 in September.

HIA also reported a significant increase in aircraft movements during the same period with 55,186 movements, representing a 19 per-cent increase compared to the same period the previous year. Aircraft take-offs and landings at the airport over the three months in 2014 amounted to 46,405. The month of July recorded

18,222 aircraft movements while August saw a new record of 18,660, followed by September that saw 18,304 aircraft movements.

Commenting on the airports record-break-ing figures, Eng Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA, said: We partially owe this phenomenal increase in our opera-tions to the increased frequency of several of our patron airlines weekly flights from Hamad International Airport, and we also had several new airlines commence operations at HIA. This increase is also a testament to the con-tinued rapid growth of Qatar Airways, Qatars national carrier.

HIA seamlessly transitioned from its pre-vious hub, Doha International Airport (DIA), to its current state-of-the-art facilities and full commercial operations of the airport began on May 27, 2014.

The transition was a testimony to intensive planning efforts by the airport management, Qatar Airways and its subsidiaries. HIA has now matured into a globally-recognised airport.

HIA has also performed well in the surveys by Airport Service Quality in the first quar-ter of 2015. This includes being ranked first in the Middle East for Cleanliness of Airport Ter-minal, Speedy Baggage Delivery and Comfort

of Waiting Areas. Al Meer said: We owe our accomplishments to our focus on customer sat-isfaction. We put the customer at the heart of everything we do. With this in mind, we have invested in a bespoke research programme to get to know our passengers and their needs. We not only offer passenger services, we also offer an overall passenger experience. Our future development strategy will focus on increased capacity and additional facilities.

Hamad International Airport (HIA) occupied the sixth place in the list of 10 best airports in the world, according to the assessment by the readers of Conde Nast Traveller 2015, which was conducted in August last year.

The list of the 10 best airports in the world is ranked by the readers of Conde Nast Trav-eller and the criteria under which the airports are selected are customer satisfaction, airport access, airport retail, security and safety, the statement said.

Within less than a year of commencing operations, HIA has won several prestigious awards including three Skytrax 2015 awards at the Skytrax Airport Award Ceremony in recognition of its outstanding performance and services including the Best Airport in the Middle East award.

HIA also won the Strategic Project of the Year award at the 2015 Global Projects of the Year awards ceremony organised by CG/LA Infrastructure.

On the ocassion of World Tourism Day, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) handed out 2,017 roses to visitors at Hamad International Airport arrivals terminal. The celebration was to mark Qatars winning the right to host offi-cial WTD 2017 celebrations.

QTA welcomed visitors and travellers through Qatar with roses grown in Qatar, pack-aged in boxes carrying the WTD slogan, and a message reminding them that every time they travel, they become part of a global movement that has the power to create opportunities and positive social and economic change.

In 2017, Qatar will host official WTD cele-brations under the theme Sustainable Tourism A Tool for Development, that aligns with Qatars National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030, which aims to foster a sustainable and mature sector that can support the countrys efforts to diversify economy and achieve sustain-able growth. The strategy sets pathways to achieve this growth, including international cooperation, attracting investments, and open-ing representative offices abroad.

Record 8.4 million travellers transit HIA

TOURIST HOTSPOTS

The Al Shaqab Fort, a heritage site behind Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre.

Fireworks at Th Pearl Qatar.

Camels at Sealine.

A rider attempting a stunt on a water scooter at Corniche.

Within less than a year of commencing operations, HIA has won several prestigious awards including three Skytrax 2015 awards at the Skytrax Airport Award Ceremony in recognition of its outstanding performance and services including the Best Airport in the Middle East award

Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara is offering guests a taste of traditional Qatari hospitality and a resort

experience with the first and only over-water villas in Qatar and a wellness centre which is one-of-its-kind in the Middle East.

The sanctuary island setting in the Arabian Gulf off Doha offers natural exclusivity and facilities for everyone with opportuni-ties for relaxation, adventure, wellness, romance and pure indulgence.

Guests feel a world away from Doha, yet the resort is 20-minute journey by luxury ferry from Al Shyoukh Terminal in downtown Doha or a 10-minute helicopter ride from the airport.

The 141 luxury rooms, suites and villas are designed in Ara-bian style with Anantara touches, including 54 premier sea view rooms, 16 deluxe sea view rooms, 8 sea view suites, 18 Anantara suites and 34 spacious sea view pool villas featuring a personal pool and poolside cabana. The 8 two-bedroom over-water villas and trio of three-bedroom Anantara over-water villas offer 360sqm of luxurious space and a 62sqm personal pool. The resort boasts of its marina with 30 berths and a fully equipped dive centre ideal for beginners.

Water sport fun ranges from kayaking, pedalos and stand-up paddle boarding, wakeboarding, banana boat, triple tube and donut rides, water skiing and jet skiing to fishing trips.

Guests can also enjoy the private 800-metre-long beach, energise with laps in the 100-metre-long lagoon pool or watch their little ones play in the childrens pool which features water slides.

Guests looking for recreation have options from tennis, beach volleyball and a fitness centre to an entertainment centre with a nine-hole putting golf course, eight-pin bowling alley and VIP cinema theatre. Families are wel-come at the Cool Mint Kids Club and Pepper Mint Teens Club.

Banana Island presents guests a taste of traditional Qatari hos-pitality and a unique resort experience with access to some of the most enticing culinary expe-riences from across the world.

The resort offers eight dining options with a choice of Middle Eastern, Italian and international cuisines.

Banana Island also offers tai-lor made dining options to enjoy exclusive dinners by design. Themed Dining by Design, guests celebrating a special occasion, or for those simply wishing to share a romantic evening or inti-mate meal with family or friends, can plan a customised Dining by Design option. Guests can choose from Anantaras collec-tion of connoisseur menus, or collaborate with their personal chef to fine tune the menu, cus-tomising it to their tastes and preferences.

Al Nahham offers guests the taste of the Middle East, where they can indulge in a range of shi-sha flavours. At Azraq, or blue in Arabic, the world of exciting fla-vours from Western, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines come together along with the chefs signature dishes to offer an unpar-alleled dining experience.

Riva, the resorts contempo-rary trattoria-style restaurant, specialises in handmade pasta and pizzas from the wood-fired oven.

For those looking for a healthy alternative, the Zest Organic Caf offers well balanced meals and delicacies made with healthy and organic ingredients.

Conveniently located by the childrens and teens clubs and bowling centre, Teds, the Ameri-can-style diner is the perfect place for families to share the signature 1kg hamburger.

The resorts Q Lounge & Res-taurant, Lagoon Pool Bar offers a refreshing start to the day with la carte breakfast options with relaxing pool views and sooth-ing sea breeze.

The resort was named Hospi-tality Company of the Year at the 2015 Arabian Business Achieve-ment Qatar Awards.

Discover a unique sanctuary in Qatar Banana Island presents guests a taste of traditional Qatari hospitality and a unique resort experience with access to some of the most enticing culinary experiences from across the world. The resort offers eight dining options with a choice of Middle Eastern, Italian and international cuisines

KATARA HOSPITALITY,PRESERVING ICONIC TREASURES

There is much more to being a world-class hospitality organisation than just owning, managing or developing hotels. At Katara Hospitality, our appreciation for the past powers our aspirations for the future. Decades of experience,

an innovative mindset and meticulous attention to detail enable us to craft unique masterpieces that set new standards for others to follow. With us, it is all about our boundless passion for creating legendary hospitality, building on our heritage.

Katara Hospitality BuildingMarina District, Lusail City, PO Box 2977 Doha, Qatar

T +974 4423 7777 F +974 4423 7860info@katarahospitality.com www.katarahospitality.com