Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Welcome Chinese, the only official overseas hospitality certification programme recognised by the Chinese government, have begun a collaboration that will empower the hospitality, tourism and retail sectors in Qatar to meet the requirements of Chinese tourists.
Members of those sectors, as well as representatives of the transport and culture sectors, recently attended sessions organised by QTA and Welcome Chinese officials to discuss the requirements of Chinese visitors, the standards for certification, and the certification process. Industry members were also presented with the training, technical assistance and marketing assistance that Welcome Chinese offers to its certified members across the travel and tourism value chain.
Qatar was granted Approved Destination Status (ADS) in China last month, allowing it to receive tourist groups from China and to promote Qatar as a tourism destination within China. The ADS system seeks to guarantee safe and reliable tourism services for Chinese customers, from both local travel agencies and international tour operators. Welcome Chinese helps to ensure that tourism industry members within countries that have ADS are individually prepared and positioned to attract and receive Chinese visitors.
The Welcome Chinese Certification is issued by the China Tourism Academy, an arm of the Chinese National Tourism Administration.
To be certified, hotels should be able to provide access to Chinese TV and newspapers, and for a higher-tiered certification, a Chinese option on the breakfast menu.
Destination management companies should be able to offer Mandarin-speaking tour guides, as well as invoices and itineraries in Mandarin. All establishments are required to provide free WiFi, hot water (for Chinese tea), and the ability for Chinese guests to pay for products and services with UnionPay, the Chinese-approved payment processor.
Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA, said, “After securing ADS for Qatar as a destination, we are working with individual members of the industry to ensure they are each China-ready and can tap into the largest outbound tourism market in the world.”
