Qatar International Food Festival receives record-breaking 200,000 visitors

As the 7th Qatar International Food Festival draws to a close, organisers have estimated a record-breaking 200,000 visitors enjoyed the event at its three locations, based on daily visitor counts.  
The week-long event has been billed the largest and most popular yet, after it attracted thousands of local citizens, residents and tourists, in addition to world-renowned chefs including Martha Stewart, George Calombaris of Master Chef Australia, and Salma Soliman of Fatafeat TV. 
 According to Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer at Qatar Tourism Authority, this year’s edition of QIFF has set a new standard for festivals and events in Qatar, which “QTA will continue to build on with our partners in future editions. Festivals are an important part of our strategy to diversify Qatar’s tourism offering, and we are proud of the success QIFF has achieved as a homegrown event that is now eagerly anticipated by people in Qatar and visitors from across the region. The 7th edition of QIFF was the perfect platform to showcase our country-wide 5-star culinary and hospitality offerings, giving visitors a taste of the country’s most authentic experiences.”
 QIFF 2016 was marked with new locations at The Pearl-Qatar and Katara Cultural Village, connected with the main Festival grounds at the Museum of Islamic Art Park with water taxis that proved highly popular. The Qatar-China 2016 Year of Culture was celebrated with a dedicated court, along with signature activities such as Dinner in the Sky by Qatar Airways, the QIFF Live Cooking Theatre, High Tea by the Bay, InstaMarket, Health Court, Dinner on a Dhow and BBQ on the Bay. 

“This year was the first time we expanded the Festival to multiple locations, and, while the expansions were limited, we were able to create a city-wide celebration of all things food,” commented Mashal Shahbik, Director of Festivals and Tourism Events at QTA. “Early on in the planning process, we asked members of the community to share what they would like to see in QIFF this year, and that was a large part of its success. And, as we wrap up and look forward to the 2017 edition, we encourage residents and visitors to share their feedback through QIFF’s social media pages.” 

 Qatar Airways, co-host of QIFF, welcomed guests to its premium lounge to enjoy A Taste of Business Class and its award-winning hospitality on board its signature Dinner in the Sky experience.  Meanwhile a stellar line-up of the world’s most celebrated chefs, made their cooking debut at the Qatar Airways Cooking Theatre offering visitors a fantastic programme of culinary delights over the course of the seven-day festival. 
 
Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communications, Ms. Salam Al Shawa, said: “We are delighted to see that the popularity of QIFF continues. This year’s new satellite festivities were a great success and delighted the local community and the many tourists and visitors who experienced Doha’s finest foods and fun entertainment.  As the country’s national airline, Qatar Airways is proud to support such a world-class event, delivering the award-winning hospitality and entertainment that we are renowned for the world over, for everyone to enjoy here in Qatar.

“The Live Cooking Theatre embraced the festival’s ambitions to expand and to explore international cuisine bringing together celebrity chefs and master culinary forces from around the globe - including the United States, Australia, Europe, the GCC and more - who provided festival goers with a memorable journey through the world’s favourite flavours.” 

 
In line with its theme “a different side of food,” the Festival placed a great emphasis on healthy-eating, especially as a means of preventing chronic illnesses and life-threatening heart conditions. Kulluna, an initiative of Hamad Medical Corporation and Conoco Phillips which aims to raise awareness of issues that cause heart disease, provided free screenings to approximately 3,500 people, helping many of them with early detection of high cholesterol and hypertension. 
 
Nearby in the Health Court was Yalla Natural, part of Sahtak Awalan “Your Health First”, an initiative of the Ministry of Public Health and Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, which helped 15,000 visitors discover new ways of going back to nature through better eating, better exercising, and better living. 

“The large number of visitors this year’s QIFF has received over a week-long period in its three locations (MIA Park, Katara Cultural Village, The Pearl-Qatar) is testament to the Festival’s diversity and ability to cater to everyone’s taste,” said Faisal bin Ahmed Al Mohannadi, Director of PR and Communication at QTA. “We are particularly pleased with the hundreds of students that participated in the Festival and interacted with its activities, especially as the students, hailing from nearly ten schools around Qatar, benefited from exposure to the health initiatives that were offered at this edition of the Festival.” 

Visitors to QIFF 2016 also enjoyed a wide array of entertainment options including Baraem TV’s children theatre, Doha Film Institute’s daily film screenings, and nightly firework displays that were visible around the Doha Corniche. 

The Peninsula