Qatar’s tourism sector is witnessing boom helped by proactive measures taken by the government. Recent figures have once again confirmed that efforts taken by the government are yielding results.
The latest statistics showed that the State of Qatar welcomed 1.19 million visitors during the first seven months of 2019, representing a 10.7 percent increase, compared to the same period in 2018.
The increase in number of travellers in the country shows that Qatar has emerged as a favourite destination for global tourist. Qatar has identified tourism as one of five priority sectors for achieving economic diversification and several steps were taken to increase tourist inflow in the country.
Among the most important developments was the Emiri decree to establish Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC). The council took significant efforts in diversifying visitor source markets and promoting Qatar as an attractive tourism destination.
The tourism sector has recently undergone rapid development after the opening of QNTC representative offices in the major exporting markets of the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Turkey, Russia, India, China and Southeast Asia. This coincides with the announcement of the World Tourism Organization that the State of Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world.
The cooperation between the National Tourism Council and the World Tourism Organization has been developed to include support for several global initiatives, while the Council has worked to develop and regulate the way the tourism sector operates with a focus on developing the skills and competencies of workers in the sector, in addition to developing the form and content of tourism events and festivals.
The Council is actively seeking to attract the right investors to implement projects related to the tourism sector.
The Council has also worked to strengthen the State of Qatar’s position as a global business destination and to collaborate with Qatar Tourism Authority QTA’s partners to attract more conferences and exhibitions, as well as supporting companies organizing local exhibitions and events and give them the opportunity to lead the sector.
The QNTC also launched an e-notification system in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior for those wishing to travel to Qatar during the summer season, including relatives, resident friends, former residents of the country, and families to enjoy the summer season in Qatar.
With all these measures taken in the past, the number of tourists heading to Qatar will only increase further.
