London (13 November 2010)- British travel professionals from both the MICE and leisure sectors attending the World Travel Market in London this week have shown great interest in the idea of experiencing Qatar in 48 hours.
“We organize itineraries for many groups that travel between the UK and Asia,” said Mr. Val Rozario, Operations Manager of Take Flight Travel. “These are long haul flights. After being introduced to Qatar as a destination, and learning about the variety of options in Qatar’s 48 hours package, I believe a stopover in Doha is an attractive option and one that I am very interested to propose to our clients.”
Qatar Tourism Authority has been promoting its new campaign “Experience Qatar in 48 Hours: Our Business is Your Pleasure” to the travel trade in Europe and in Asia during international travel exhibitions and special roadshows since early this year. “Our 48 hours campaign targets passengers on long haul flights between Europe and Asia enticing them to transit and stopover in Doha, as well as inspiring business visitors in Doha to extend their stay,” said Ms. Soha Moussa, Head of Promotions and Organizing Abroad Exhibitions at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA). “As we meet with UK travel professionals to tell them what Qatar has to offer, we find that many know Qatar as a nation propserous in oil and gas, but they are learning about Qatar as a travel destination for the first time. The rapid expansion in Qatar’s tourism industry – the increase in the number of hotel rooms, the addition of cultural attractions – positions Qatar as a new and exciting destination to offer their clients. They are very interested in considering Qatar as a stopover option.”
In addition to meeting travel organizers interested in Qatar for stopover travel, the QTA delegation also met with representatives of associations interested in Qatar as a destination for their annual congresses. Mrs. Elizabeth Culkin, Vice president of Meetings, Conventions and Trade Shows at the ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents), was particularly keen to learn more about Qatar. “We are looking for a new destination for our annual meeting of US travel agents,” said Mrs. Culkin. “I am very impressed by the MICE facilities and industry expansion in Qatar. I look forward to exploring this idea further with Qatar Tourism Authority in the near future.”
Qatar has quickly come onto the global scene as an ideal venue for hosting large-scale conferences. In 2011 alone, Doha will play host to the Asian Cup, TESOL Conference, Pan Arab Games and the World Petroleum Congress. Doha will also host the Universal Postal Union in 2012, and is a bidding nation to hold the World Chambers Congress 2013 and FIFA World Cup 2022. With state-of-the-art convention centers and many more world-class hotels with top quality conference facilities opening in the near future, in conjunction infrastructure improvements including the New Doha International Airport and Qatar National Railway, Qatar is poised to be the premier MICE destination in the Middle East.
At WTM, Qatar Tourism Authority was joined by representatives of a variety of organizations in the tourism sector in Qatar, including Qatar Marine Festival. Mr. Shadi Kassem, Marketing Manager of Qatar Marine Festival, commented that WTM this year was much better than in years prior. “There is a lot of interest in Qatar as a sports and upscale leisure destination,” said Mr. Kassem. “I have met with many buyers who are interested in the cultural tourism offerings of Qatar, and who wanted to learn more about the marine festival. Many of our own inbound tour operators are including the festival in their promotional packages, which is of interest to many buyers we have met at WTM.” Qatar Marine Festival is partnering with Regency Travel Group to promote the festival and its activities as well as year round events.
Mr. Tareq Bagaeen, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Grand Hyatt Doha, was very happy with their participation. “The show is vibrant and it brings a nice diversity of buyers with strong emphasis on European contacts which are important to Qatar and its growing aspirations as an upscale leisure destination,” said Mr. Bagaeen. “Many of the outbound operators we met are excited to include Qatar as a destination in their itineraries.”
Staged annually in London, World Travel Market (WTM) is a four-day business to business event presenting a diverse range of destinations and industry sectors to UK and international travel professionals. The event is a unique opportunity for the travel trade to meet, network, negotiate and conduct business at one venue.
During the World Travel Market, Qatar Tourism Authority was accompanied by companies in the hospitality and tourism industry representing the high quality and broad range of accommodation and attractions in Qatar including Qatar Marine Festival, The Diplomatic Club, Qatar National Hotels Company, Al Liwan Suites, Best Western Doha Hotel, Grand Hyatt Doha, La Cigale Hotel, LaVilla Group of Hotels, Ramada Plaza Doha, Retaj Al Rayyan Hotels & Hospitality, Sharq Village & Spa, Swiss-Belhotel Doha, Fal Travel Mart Travel & Tour W.L.L. and Regency Holidays.
