As part of the national tourism strategy, this new chapter will focus on investment opportunities to accelerate growth and promote sustainable development.
The visitor experience will be at the heart of a new five-year plan.
Qatar has announcedthe opening of a new chapter in its National Strategy for the Tourism Sector to 2030, as well as its growth targets for the next five years. This bold and innovative plan was announced by His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of Qatar, on the occasion of the World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) official World Tourism Day celebrations held this year in Doha on September 27.
This new chapter aims to define the essence of Qatar as a tourism destination, and will enable the development of products, services and experiences that will make this vision a reality. His Excellency also announced that, in the coming months, the governance of the tourism sector will be reorganized around a new National Tourism Council with the aim of focusing and integrating the efforts of key industry partners and stakeholders to clarify, guide and energize the growth of the tourism sector.
This new chapter presents a clear roadmap for the development of products and services that will define the tourism experience in Qatar. Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at the Qatar Tourism Authority, explained: ” Together with our public and private sector partners, we have explored the most effective ways to continue building on the already solid foundations of the tourism sector put in place since 2014, seeking to further develop the country’s cultural and natural assets. As a result, this new chapter makes Qatar a destination to discover – where authentic culture meets modernity, where sand meets sea, and where people from all over the world come together to experience unique moments in culture, sport, business and family. ”
For Hassan Al Ibrahim, this new chapter introduces a blueprint for Qatar’s tourism industry, outlining how this new positioning will take shape over the next five years. The plan identifies six geographical zones across the country, and links each of these zones to tourism themes identified according to the region’s geographical features and natural assets. Local and international investors will be invited to develop tourism products and services in each geographical area, in line with the proposed themes.
Also according to Hassan Al Ibrahim, ” The opportunities presented in this new chapter are limitless. Professionals, investors and the Qatari people will all have the chance to be a part of the future.
development of the image of Qatar as it will appear in the minds of visitors for decades to come. ”
In addition to the development of tourism products, the chapter also details a program, supported by a global network of tourism promotion offices, to expand the calendar of festivals and tourism events held in Qatar each year to attract interest from the rest of the world.
Placing visitor experience at the heart of tourism development
Ensuring the best possible visitor experience in Qatar is at the heart of this new chapter. This strategy proposes programs and measures designed to ensure positive experiences for all travelers at every moment of their stay in Qatar. These include programs to facilitate interaction and shared experiences between Qatar’s residents and its visitors. This will be complemented by the creation of Tourism Experience Units in all relevant public and private entities. These units will be responsible for ensuring that their organization’s services are continually enhanced to provide unique experiences for tourists to Qatar.
The next five years will also see intensive efforts to develop infrastructure, both physical and digital, to facilitate travellers’ journeys to and within Qatar. In addition, training programs will be developed and offered to all employees in the tourism industry, from both the public and private sectors.
Establishing a new governance structure to enhance cross-sector cooperation
To achieve the objectives of this new chapter, the Qatari authorities have announced the creation of a new governance structure for the tourism sector to coordinate, consolidate and focus the efforts of its key members and partners. The Qatar Tourism Authority will become the National Tourism Council, reporting to a high-level board of experts chaired by His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. The Board will ensure the overall development of the sector, monitor the performance of the tourism sector and ensure cross-sector collaboration and synergies.
The National Tourism Board will also oversee three new entities whose mission will be to develop major tourism offers and experiences, promote the destination internationally and consolidate the efforts of partners operating in the business events sector.
” The tourism sector is unique in its ability to rely on many ancillary sectors to achieve success. Recognizing the importance of close coordination, the Government of Qatar has approved a new governance structure that will strengthen the sector and enable us to work together to achieve even more significant results.” commented Al Ibrahim. “This new structure also helps us to strengthen tourism product development, international promotion, as well as the development of the business events sector, while ensuring the growing involvement of the private sector.”.
Finally, in introducing these new policies and structures, the new chapter aims to further develop key sectoral tools, such as a supportive regulatory framework for tourism establishments, improved measures to facilitate business in the tourism sector, and additional visa measures to facilitate visitor access to Qatar.
Five-year targets
The new chapter aims to attract 5.6 million visitors to Qatar every year by 2023, double the number of visitors welcomed in 2016. It also aims to achieve an occupancy rate of 72% in all hotel establishments thanks to increased demand, and to diversify Qatar’s tourism accommodation offering.
In addition, the country seeks to increase tourism’s direct contribution to national GDP from QAR 19.8 billion in 2016 to QAR 41.3 billion in 2023, representing a direct contribution to GDP of 3.8% (compared with 3.5% in 2016).
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