Last few days Qatar skies were dotted with colourful hot air balloons in various shapes offering those riding in it a view of the city from a completely different angle and those on the ground a chance to imbibe in the fun activity by watching those big balloons floating by on nice and pleasant mornings. These rides are part of the 10-day Balloon festival being held at the Doha Port area where nearly 50 balloons light up the night sky and the rides happen in the early mornings.
The festival is being held as part of the ‘Feel Winter in Qatar’ campaign, which aims to host many such events and activities from January to March during the pleasant winter months to attract more international visitors to Qatar. A large number of residents and citizens are flocking to these events, which offer something for everyone. DJs, singers, music bands, dancers, magic shows, violinists, food trucks are some of the attractions at the festival.
Organising the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 helped the country to set up world-class infrastructure and upgrade the entertainment and cultural hotspots. This will surely give an impetus to the tourism industry as Qatar Tourism aims to welcome six million visitors annually by 2030. This could be a conservative target as this figure could be achieved much earlier as the World Cup has given Qatar a big boost as all the fans who came here were seen praising the safety, entertainment options, accommodation and food scene.
The ‘Feel Winter in Qatar’ campaign could bring in many visitors from the region with its various offers like kite surfing tournament, tennis tournaments where the world’s top stars will participate, food festival, jewellery exhibition, equestrian events, live shows by acclaimed local, regional, and international artists and much more. It will be a very busy few months ahead.
Adding to this is the recent announcement by Panda House Park that they are planning to make it a major international tourist destination by adding a number of attractions. This will offer something unique to the people in the region as this is the only such facility in the Middle East and has already become a big hit among domestic visitors as people are booking much in advance to see the two pandas ‘Thuraya’ and ‘Suhail’.
All these events plus other top sporting activities like Formula One and 2023 AFC Asian Cup will surely bring millions of visitors to Doha. Having a great and well-connected airline and a top-notch airport only makes it easier to bring in the millions.
