Qatar Tourism Authority to highlight its experiential offering
at Arabian Travel Market - culture and heritage to drive visitor numbers
towards 10 million target
Experiential travel, the main theme of this
year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM), is driving tourism growth in Qatar, as the
country works towards its 2030 ambitions to welcome 10 million visitors a year
and generate US$17.8 billion in tourism receipts.
According to research released ahead of ATM
2017, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre 24-27 April, Qatar will
look to generate 5.2% of its GDP through tourism over the coming years,
creating 98,000 jobs and managing an inventory of 63,000 hotel rooms.
A perfect example of experiential travel is Souq
Waqif in Doha, which offers several small shops lined along paths with an array
of Middle Eastern merchandise, from spices and seasonal delicacies to perfumes,
jewelry, clothing and handicrafts.
While the country’s culture and heritage
remains of paramount importance, Qatar is also set to invest up to US$45
billion in new developments under the National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030.
These include US$2.3 billion earmarked for 2022 World Cup facilities and $6.9
billion for transport infrastructure and associated projects.
Simon Press, Senior Exhibition
Director, ATM, said: “Qatar’s well-paced National
Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 will steadily boost
tourism numbers over the coming decade, with the first milestone of four
million visitors a year by 2020, well on track.
“The government, hotel operators,
airlines, and other stakeholders, are now beginning to see a return on their
investment into the country’s tourism sector. Once again we see the leisure
industry driving growth in another major GCC destination and this is a trend we
expect to continue at least until the end of the decade.”
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) predicts the
tourism sector’s total economic contribution will reach QAR 81.2 billion (7.3%
of GDP) by 2026, up from QAR 48.5 billion in 2015.
In 2015, investment in travel and tourism
activity comprised 2.2% of the country’s total funding, with this expected to
rise by 8.6% per annum to 2026. The introduction of newdemand drivers will be
vital to supporting the continued rise in leisure spending, which is expected
to reach values of QAR 44.9 billion in 2026, while business travel
spending is expected to rise to QAR17.5billion in 2026.
Qatar is already the
fastest growing destination in the region in terms of visitor arrivals,
averaging 11.5% growth over the past five years, according to data fromthe QTA.
The Authority’s Tourism
Performance Summary, for the third quarter of 2016, recorded arrivals of 2.18
million visitors in the first nine months of the year, including more than one
million GCC nationals.
Qatar’s Hamad
International Airport (HIA) saw
passenger traffic jump 20% in 2016, handling some 37.3 million passengers, a
leap of 7.3 million from the previous year. The surge is partly attributed to
the operator Qatar Airways’ fast growth, which included 14 additional
destinations last year. The airline giant has also announced the world’s
longest flight by duration - a 17+ hour route from Auckland to Doha.
Arrivals in 2017 will also receive a boost from the
cruise season, running October 2016 to April 2017. It is expected up to 30
ships will dock in Doha during the current season generating
55,000 visitors. This could reach as many as 250,000
passengers by the 2018/19 season.
In order to deal with the
expected demand, Qatar currently has 22,921 hotel rooms with a further 15,956
rooms under contract, representing a 69% increase in total stock in the current
pipeline. The country posted a decline
in hotel performance across all key metrics over 2016, as overall occupancy
dropped 12.2%, ADR fell by 7.5% and RevPAR fell by 18.8%.
ATM 2017 will showcase exhibits
from Qatar’s biggest tourism brands, including the Qatar Tourism Authority,
Qatar Airways,Katara Hospitality, which operates its own hotel brands in Qatar
and owns a number of heritage properties across Europe; Doha Marriott Hotel,
Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, The Ritz Carlton Hotel,
Qatar, and Hotel Royal Savoy, Lausanne.
ATM - considered by many industry professionals as a
barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, witnessed a
year-on-year visitor attendance increase of 9% to over 28,500 in 2016, with
2,785 exhibiting companies, signing business deals worth more than US$ 2.5
billion over four days.
ATM 2017 will build on its
success with the announcement of an additional hall as Reed Travel Exhibitions
looks to add to its record-breaking achievements of 2016.
For more information on Arabian Travel Market
2017, please visit: www.arabiantravelmarket.wtm.com
