Qatar – regarded as a top MICE destination in the Middle East
Abu Dhabi (April 1, 2010) –
Qatar is regarded as a quality destination for meetings and events in the Gulf region according to international buyers and travel professionals. Qatar Tourism Authority participated in the Gulf Incentive, Business Travel and Meetings Exhibition (GIBTM), the largest MICE show in the Middle East. The three-day event, held in Abu Dhabi, saw a marked increase in hosted buyer attendance, with visitors coming from 40 different countries around the world.
There was a great deal of interest from the constant flow of event organizers and buyers to the Qatar stand, both as part of the pre-scheduled appointment system as well as unscheduled appointments as visitors wanted to know more about Qatar and its expertise in the meetings, incentive, conference and exhibition (MICE) sector.
Speaking to Qatar Tourism Authority officials, Hisham Al Shaarani from Egypt said: “I was delighted to visit Qatar’s stand at GIBTM. I had a great opportunity to learn about the modern yet culturally rich experience Qatar offers its vistors, I am looking forward to visiting Qatar soon to explore its various attractions and business friendly environment.”
Topic focus and keen interests of participants, visitors and exhibitors, at GIBTM are clear indications that meeting and event planners are eager to learn about what the countries in the region have to offer their clients. Qatar Tourism Authority and its delegation of top luxury hotels, destination management companies and event organizers met with many trade professionals who came to the QTA stand to investigate new commercial partnerships.
“It was very helpful for us to participate in GIBTM, I had the opportunity to meet and exchange thoughts with international experts in the MICE industry. It was very encouraging to be assured that Qatar is on the right track bringing to the country and world innovative events that meet the market’s growing needs,” said: Bashar Al Kateb, business development manager at QMDI.
In its fourth year, GIBTM is a three-day business-to-business event which takes place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center. The exhibition offers a platform for 250 destinations and organizations to showcase their products and services to meetings and incentives professionals from the Gulf and Middle East region and around the world.
“We are pleased with the number of interested and high quality visitors that came to the stand,” said Ms. Cristina Mules, Marketing Official at Qatar Tourism Authority. “As the economic outlook begins to pick up, Qatar is well positioned as a new and unique destination making it a very interesting option to meeting and event planners.”
GIBTM has over 1500 attendees with the high-level Hosted Buyer program guaranteeing the attendance of senior level buyers from the Middle East, Asia and Europe, together with regional and local visitors.
In its role to promote Qatar as a quality tourism destination for business and leisure, Qatar Tourism Authority has participated in many of the top global travel and tourism exhibitions including World Travel Market in London, the Global Meetings and Incentives Exhibition (EIBTM) in Barcelona and the International Travel Bourse in Singapore and Berlin. QTA will also participate in the upcoming travel and tourism events including the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai and IMEX in Frankfurt.
