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World Tourism Day: Another milestone for QTARaynald C Rivera The Peninsula

Qatar successfully hosted the official celebration of World Tourism Day (WTD) yester-day, organized by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA)

under the patronage of Qatar’s Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani. The celebration witnessed an august gathering of tourism luminaries which featured a forum which saw more than 20 international speakers taking part in panel discussions of crucial impor-tance to achieving sustainable tourism around the world amid the challenges the sector faces.

“The hosting of the State of Qatar of this celebration that is being convened under the slogan of ‘Sustainable Tour-ism-A Tool for Development’ is an opportunity to discuss the different tools and capabilities that would enable us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals that have been adopted by the UN in 2015,” said the Prime Minister while addressing the opening of the forum.

He stressed the importance of the celebration being hosted in Qatar as it coincides with the launch of the next phase of Qatar National Tourism Sec-tor Strategy at a time when efforts are being multiplied in order to reinforce the country’s position on world map.

Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA, unveiled the salient features of the revised national tourism strategy which posi-

tions Qatar as a hub to discover.Taleb Al Rifai, Secretary-General

World Tourism Organization, said UNWTO is happy to have been part of Qatar’s drive towards becoming a prime tourist destination as well as supporting its efforts in enhancing its visa policies making it the most open country in the region. As the UN celebrates

2017 International year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, Al Rifai urged travelers to respect people, culture, nature and history of the places they visit. Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Exec-utive Officer of Qatar Airways delivered the keynote speech on “Aviation’s Role in Building Sustainable Tourism.”

The forum featured a high level

think tank on “Tourism as a means for creating opportunities, enhancing cul-tural preservation and mutual understanding.” Moderated by Max Fos-ter of CNN International, the panel comprised H E Edmund Bartlett, Minis-ter of Tourism of Jamaica, H E Eugene Lenn Nagbe, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Liberia, H E

Selma Elloumi Rekik, Minister of Tour-ism and Handicrafts of Tunisia H E Avedis Guidanian, Minister of Tourism of Lebanon, Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor Khan, Managing Director, Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation, Frano Matušić, State Secretary, Minis-try of Tourism of Croatia, Nada Roudies, Secretary General, Department of Tour-ism of Morocco, Akbar Al Baker, GCEO, Qatar Airways and Anna Paolini, Direc-tor of the UNESCO Office in Doha.

Also held was special session on measuring and managing the economic, social and environmental impact of tourism. Titled “Tourism and the Planet: committed to a greener future”, the ses-sion featured a keynote by Mohammad Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Minister of Munic-ipality and Environment.

The panel discussion moderated by CNN International’s Max Foster included Abdulla Hassan Al-Mehshadi, Chief Executive Officer, Msheireb Properties, Fernando Olivera, Minister of the State of Guanajuato, Mexico, Sofia Panayio-taki, CEO, PR MEDIACO, Patricio Azcárate Díaz de Losada, Director, Responsible Tourism Institute and Dr. David Ermen, Senior Manager, Lodging and Tourism Clients Group, PwC.

The event concluded with the pres-entation of the host country of WTD 2018 which is Hungary. Today, delegates will have the opportunity to join technical vis-its to see traditional Qatari architecture, prominent landmarks in Doha and old re-developed buildings as well as Al Aaliya Island on a tour aboard a traditional dhow.

See also page 3

Hassan Al Ibrahim (left), Chief Tourism Development Officer, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), and Taleb Rifai, Secretary -General, United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), attending a media briefing on the sidelines of World Tourism Day celebrations at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Convention Hotel yesterday.Pic: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula

,New visa policies

bolster tourism sector

Pic: Kammutty VP / The Peninsula

2

Qatar’s hospitality segment con-t i n u e s t o w i t n e s s unprecedented growth as industry experts have forecast hospitality revenues to peak

at $1.6bn in the next three years. A recent report from leading investment bank, Alpen Capital, has forecast an annual 10 percent growth over the next three years, which will be largely driven by tourism-related developments, includ-ing the country’s preparations to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

The first half of this year saw growth in the number of tourists visiting Qatar with expectations of an increase in the coming period, especially after the announcement of the exemption of cit-izens of 80 countries to obtain a visa to enter the country.

The tourism movement witnessed an increase in the number of tourists as shown by occupancy rates of hotels that are registered, especially during Eid Al Fitr holidays, where the occupancy rate was 95 percent. Hotel occupancy rate increased by six percent from 53 per-cent in July last year to 59 percent in July this year, according to the 43rd edition of “Qatar: Monthly Statistics” released by the Ministry of Development Plan-ning and Statistics.

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is working on a number of initiatives and promotional campaigns to find new markets to attract tourists and diversify the tourism product to ensure the pros-perity of Qatar’s tourism industry. On the Authority’s efforts in developing the tourism sector, Chief of QTA’s Tourism Development Sector, Hassan Al Ibra-him, said many steps were taken by the Authority in response to its 2030 tour-ism strategy and to support the tourism sector in Qatar, the most recently being the visa-free entry for citizens of 80 countries.

He added that one of the Authori-ty’s objectives is to diversify the target markets and segments in addition to carrying out many future promotional campaigns with its partners to promote Qatar and support the tourism sector. Al Ibrahim said the QTA is targeting new markets in order to attract tourists who wish to visit Qatar and know about its historical and heritage features and its renaissance.

The activity of the tourism sector in Qatar during the recent period, he said, was not only due to the support of the competent authorities in tourism but also due to the awareness of the citizens of the importance of this sector and the role they played in the flourishing of the domestic tourism when most of the nationals preferred to stay in the coun-try and spent their holidays in solidarity with their country. The initiatives launched by QTA have been diversified to include all aspects of entertainment that benefit citizens and residents, attract tourists to Qatar and contribute to the advancement of the local economy.

QTA has also launched campaigns to promote Qatar around the world such as a roadshow in Kuwait and Oman held in July to enhance Qatar’s position as a tourist destination. The recently con-cluded fourth Qatar Summer Festival was a success with thousands of people including tourists from Oman and Kuwait among other countries attend-ing events and availing of various promotions.

Advancements in tourist visa poli-cies coupled with hotels’ venture into fresh previously unexplored markets are expected to give the hospitality sector its much needed shot in the arm. “The introduction of e-visa services will ena-ble us to become open to new markets. These new markets are supported through the vast network of Qatar Air-ways, Discover Qatar and Visit Qatar, as well as the extensive network of Glo-bal Sales Offices of hotel brands such as Minor Hotels Group,” Thomas Fehlbier, General Manager at Banana Island Resort Doha by Anantara, told The Peninsula.

Saeid Heidari, General Manager at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort &

Convention Hotel, said QTA’s policy to expand e-visa services is an effective way to maximise tourism by attracting more visitors to the country. He said the new policies like visa on arrival for around 72 nationalities and visa-free entry will encourage more people to visit Qatar. “This will give a huge push to our business and to the Qatari economy in general. This is a clear example of how QTA has enhanced Qatar’s tourism opportunities, and contributed to the wider national economy,” said Heidari, adding since the decision to expand e-visa services, there had been a notice-able increase in demand which they expect to continue to grow in the com-ing months.

Sharad Rattan, Executive Assistant Manager at Sharq Village & Spa a Ritz Carlton Hotel, expressed the same view, saying, “The recent initiative by Qatar Tourism Authority reduces the proce-dures for hotel and tourism establishments, strengthening the over-all hospitality industry, encouraging local and foreign investment in the tourism sector and ensures consistency in the prominent level of quality and standards throughout the country.”

“The digitisation of the visa applica-tion process makes it faster by eliminating the time needed for personal visits to immigration offices. On the other hand, the fact that the hotel staff can do this for one or ten guests at a time makes it much more efficient. This not only fur-ther streamlines the process of welcoming tourist guests but can also contribute to a better customer experi-ence during their earliest encounter with the hotel,” stressed Nawaf Ali Al Obaidly, General Manager at Sealine Beach Resort.

Meanwhile, Hospitality Qatar, the country’s premier International Hospi-tality and Hotel/Restaurant/Café (HORECA) Trade Show, is looking to lev-erage highly-attractive and potential opportunities across the country’s

equally-booming hotel supply, design and investment segments. This year’s edi-tion of the show, which will be held from November 7 to 9 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC), aims at providing participants with a strategic platform to showcase latest hospitality design and supply-related products; interact and network with industry pro-fessionals and stakeholders, and explore lucrative business opportunities. Hospi-tality Qatar 2017 is expected to draw in huge participation from the region’s top hospitality investors, hoteliers, restau-rateurs, and café operators and suppliers.

Karim Raffoul, Project Manager, Hos-pitality Qatar 2017, said: “The country’s unceasing efforts to position itself as a highly-preferred tourism destination have manifested in an 11.5 percent growth over the last five years, dubbing Qatar as one of the fastest growing destinations in the Middle East in terms of visitor arrivals. The Qatari government’s latest move to introduce free multiple-entry visa upon arrival for 80 nationalities is the latest example of its strong commit-ment to maintaining that growth through strategic initiatives and programs.”

Hospitality Qatar 2017 will be fea-turing a vibrant exhibition zone, a

highly-targeted B2B program, educa-tional workshops and simultaneous events and activities, allowing visitors and participants to experience a 360-degree coverage of all aspects of the HORECA, F&B and hospitality investment markets. The exciting three-day show will be composed of three zones; Food & Beverage, Supply & Design, and Hotel & Franchise Investment. Exciting events to look out for include the Salon Culinaire, a Live Cooking Competition and a Mock-tail Competition.

This year, Hospitality Qatar is also introducing a new addition for the first time: HQ – Food Qatar. The platform is especially designed to serve Qatar’s food and catering industry by providing a plat-form for local, regional, and international food producers and suppliers to meet with eager local buyers.

“We remain highly confident that this year’s edition of the show will con-tinue to live up to its name of being the most ideal platform for hospitality pro-fessionals, hotel and franchise investors to throw the spotlight on their prod-ucts and services. This is a great opportunity for suppliers and produc-ers to meet new potential customers and investors from the entire region,” said Raffoul.

Tourist arrivals rise; hotel occupancy increases

3

Panellists attending a High Level Think-Tank session 'Tourism as a means for creating opportunities, enhancing cultural preservation and mutual understanding', at the World Tourism Day celebrations at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and Convention Hotel yesterday. Pics: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula

Raynald C Rivera The Peninsula

In just a short span of time, Qatar has made enormous strides for-ward relaxing its visa policies to bolster tourism considered one of the important sectors to tap as it

forges ahead towards a diversified and sustainable economy.

Qatar has always recognised tour-ism among the important sectors that greatly impacts the national economy like in many countries around the world. The economic impact of the tourism sec-tor in Qatar is becoming increasingly visible with 2015 estimates showing a total impact on Qatar’s total GDP of 4.4 percent.

With a galaxy of hotels being built and new tourism products and services created, the industry is also expected to generate thousands of jobs in the near future as the country prepares to host World Cup 2022.

Qatar’s strategic location along with its world-class Hamad International Air-port and award-winning five-star national carrier Qatar Airways assures a promising future for the tourism industry in various spheres.

Early last month, Qatar took a land-mark move further easing its visa policies to allow citizens of 80 countries visa-free entry. With this, it has eclipsed its neighbouring states as it is now the highest in the region in terms of number of nationalities eligible to enter visa-free. While several countries have closed their doors imposing siege on Qatar, the country counters the unjust blockade opening its doors to more even more nationalities making it the most open country in the region.

This tourism milestone came as part of a series of measures that Qatar has taken to facilitate visitor access to the country and make it an attractive des-tination for both business and leisure travellers.

Visa facilitation is a critical compo-nent of the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS), whose revised version was launched yesterday by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) coincid-ing with the official celebration of World Tourism Day which Qatar is hosting.

“Easing entry to Qatar is a key ena-bler for the growth of Qatar’s tourism industry. There is no doubt that facili-tating and streamlining access at all ports of entry are key factors in creat-ing a positive first and lasting impression of Qatar,” Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development officer at QTA earlier said.

Yesterday also saw the launch of the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system which is now available to visitors of all nationalities who hold valid residence permits or visas from any of the following: United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, Aus-tralia, New Zealand, the Schengen countries, and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

This new system which started

taking effect yesterday allows eligible visitors to obtain an ETA by completing online application prior to travel at www.qatarvisaservice.com.

The ETA allows travelers to obtain a visa-on-arrival to Qatar, which per-mits them to stay in the country for up to 30 days during a single visit and may be extended online for 30 more days to be used during the same visit.

Al Ibrahim stressed, “ETA is yet another step that will help us welcome the world to Qatar. This additional enhancement to our visa policy is tes-tament to Qatar’s commitment to openness, and to championing the right to tourism for all people, in line with the UNWTO’s Global Code of Eth-ics for Tourism.” He added: “Time and again we found that openness and ease

of access are crucial elements. As such we have committed ourselves, over the past few months, to taking as many steps as possible to facilitate entry to Qatar for dozens of nationalities around the world.”

Earlier, the e-visa platform, www.qatarvisaservice.com, through which travellers of all nationalities can apply for tourist and visitor visas with more efficiency and ease, was launched.

In a bid to further facilitate visitors’ access to the country, Qatar’s e-visa services have been expanded making it available to tourism-related businesses, which also include hotels, as well as individuals arriving to Qatar aboard any airline. Hospitality establishments and tourism offices holding a valid license with QTA can now fully complete their guests’ tourist visa applications online allowing businesses to complete multiple applica-tions at once making it easier to handle large groups through bulk payments. Indi-viduals who are traveling to Qatar on any airlines can now apply directly for tour-ist visas on the same portal.

All hotels welcomed this good news saying making e-visa services accessi-ble to them would certainly streamline the process of providing their guests the best experience possible.

In November last year, Qatar intro-duced a free transit visa, which allows passengers of all nationalities transit-ing in Qatar for a minimum of five hours to stay in Qatar for up to 96 hours, with-out the requirement to apply ahead of time for an entry visa.

This is a significant increase from the previous transit visa scheme,

which allowed travellers with a min-imum layover of eight hours to spend a maximum of 48 hours in Qatar. This increase is designed to make stopo-vers easier and more attractive to Qatar Airways’ global passengers, and aims to deliver additional value to the local economy while strengthening Qatar’s position as an attractive tour-ist destination.

In May this year, QTA launched +Qatar, an initiative to promote the country as a stopover destination, with the national carrier, Qatar Airways. These measures, along with intensified international marketing, have resulted in a 39 percent increase in the number of stopover visitors during the first six months of this year, compared with the same period last year.

As part of Qatar Airways’ and QTA’s combined efforts to boost tour-ism in the country, the award-winning airline has accelerated its global expansion plans, launching a number of new destinations this year with more still to come.

With these positive developments, Qatar’s tourism sector is poised for growth, not to mention QTA’s ceaseless efforts to promote the country as a des-tination around the world, through its destination branding, international rep-resentation and participation at trade shows, and by developing a rich calen-dar of festivals and events.

QTA’s growing international presence with its representative offices in London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Singapore, Riyadh, Istanbul and New York is also a huge boost to to its promotion efforts.

New visa policies bolster tourism sector

45

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araj

evo

is s

et

to jo

in Q

atar

Air

way

s’ e

xpan

d-in

g gl

obal

n

etw

ork

as

th

e aw

ard-

win

nin

g ai

rlin

e an

nou

nce

d th

at th

e fa

mou

s B

alka

n ci

ty w

ill n

ow

laun

ch in

Oct

ober

as p

art o

f Qat

ar A

ir-

way

s’ e

xped

ited

expa

nsio

n pl

ans.

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capi

tal o

f Bos

nia

and

Her

ze-

govi

na

is n

ow b

ecom

ing

the

late

st

mus

t-se

e de

stin

atio

n fo

r lei

sure

trav

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lers

, com

bini

ng it

s ri

ch h

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ry w

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oder

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pher

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er a

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ique

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tura

l mix

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itors

can

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ence

stu

nnin

g vi

ews

of th

e ci

ty a

nd

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ound

ing

mou

ntai

ns f

rom

one

of

Sara

jevo

’s m

any

view

ing

plat

form

s,

and

vis

it B

ašča

ršija

, an

Ott

oman

ba

zaar

in th

e he

art o

f the

city

boa

st-

ing

man

y re

mar

kabl

e hi

stor

ical

and

cu

ltura

l sig

hts.

The

an

nou

nce

men

t of

the

new

fo

ur ti

mes

-wee

kly

serv

ice,

set t

o be

gin

on O

ctob

er 3

1, is

par

t of t

he a

irlin

e’s

expe

dite

d ex

pan

sion

in

to E

aste

rn

Euro

pe, w

ith th

e re

cent

laun

ch o

f fou

r tim

es-w

eekl

y se

rvic

e to

Sko

pje

as w

ell

as d

aily

fli

ghts

to

Pra

gue,

Cze

ch

Rep

ublic

and

Kyi

v, U

krai

ne.

Qat

ar A

irw

ays

Gro

up C

hief

Exe

c-ut

ive

Akb

ar A

l Bak

er s

aid:

“Lau

nchi

ng

fligh

ts to

Sar

ajev

o is

a s

igni

fican

t ste

p to

war

d in

crea

sin

g ou

r pr

esen

ce i

n

East

ern

Euro

pe, a

nd w

ill p

rovi

de o

ur

pass

enge

rs w

ith

a ne

w a

nd e

xcit

ing

rout

e to

and

from

this

rem

arka

ble

city

. It

is a

lso

tang

ible

pro

of o

f our

ong

o-in

g co

mm

itmen

t to

expa

nd o

ur g

loba

l ne

twor

k. A

ddin

g Sa

raje

vo to

our

glo

-ba

l net

wor

k w

ill a

llow

pas

seng

ers

in

Bos

nia

-Her

zego

vin

a to

con

nec

t to

m

ore

than

150

des

tinat

ions

wor

ldw

ide

thro

ugh

our

five

-sta

r hu

b, H

amad

In

tern

atio

nal A

irpo

rt.”

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ser

vice

bet

wee

n D

oha

and

Sara

jevo

will

be

oper

ated

four

tim

es

a w

eek

by a

n A

irbu

s A

320

, fea

turi

ng

12 se

ats i

n Bu

sine

ss C

lass

and

132

seat

s in

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nom

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lass

. As

wel

l as

enjo

ying

the

awar

d-w

inni

ng in

-flig

ht s

ervi

ce

on b

oard

the

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trax

Air

line

of t

he

Yea

r 20

17, p

asse

nger

s fly

ing

on b

oard

w

ill a

lso

have

acc

ess

to O

ryx

On

e,

Qat

ar A

irw

ays’

in-f

light

ent

erta

inm

ent

syst

em o

ffer

ing

the

late

st b

lock

bust

er

mov

ies,

TV

box

sets

, mus

ic, g

ames

and

m

uch

mor

e.A

n e

xcit

ing

year

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air

line

cont

inue

s w

ith a

tota

l of 2

6 ne

w d

es-

tin

atio

n l

aun

ches

set

to

take

pla

ce

thro

ugh

the

rest

of 2

017

and

into

20

18,

with

new

flig

hts

star

ting

to C

anbe

rra,

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ustr

alia

; Chi

ang

Mai

, Tha

iland

; Rio

de

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iro,

Bra

zil;

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Fran

cisc

o, U

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and

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le, t

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me

a fe

w.

Qat

ar A

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ays,

the

nati

onal

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f the

Sta

te o

f Qat

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s on

e of

the

fast

est g

row

ing

airl

ines

ope

ratin

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you

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t fl

eets

in t

he w

orld

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ow in

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20th

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r of

ope

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ons,

Q

atar

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way

s ha

s a

mod

ern

fleet

of

200

air

craf

t fly

ing

to b

usin

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and

lei-

sure

d

esti

nat

ion

s ac

ross

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ents

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vo fl

ight

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ur ti

mes

a w

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atar

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matt

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wha

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in th

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re fl

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6

IN THE NEWS

Qatar and China sign tourism agreementQatar is now an approved destination

for Chinese tourists with the signing of a bilateral agreement between Qatar

Tourism Authority (QTA) and the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). The agreement grants Qatar Approved Des-tination Status (ADS), allowing it to receive tourists from China and to promote Qatar as a tourism destination within China. Has-san Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA, added, “Thanks to a robust economy and an increasingly open tourism policy, the Chinese outbound tourism mar-ket has been the largest in the world since 2012, with the growth expected to continue. We are excited to work with our partners in the tourism industry to offer our renowned hospitality to our Chinese guests. We look forward to welcoming visitors as they dis-cover our cultural heritage and natural treasures.” Award-winning five star airline Qatar Airways flies directly to six destina-tions in mainland China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Shang-hai, and Hangzhou.

QTA opens office in BeijingQatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has

announced the opening of represent-ative offices in China, with

headquarters in Beijing, and supporting loca-tions in Shanghai and Guangzhou. “Qatar has become an increasingly accessible des-tination for Chinese travellers, especially after Qatar waived entry visa requirements for Chinese citizens,” said Sultan Salmeen Al Mansouri, Qatar’s Ambassador to China. The QTA office in China will aim to greatly enhance the organisation’s on-the-ground presence and capabilities, introducing and developing awareness and knowledge about Qatar as a quality destination through pro-active marketing to tour operators, travel agencies, hospitality partners and media, as well as consumers. Chinese travellers inter-ested in Qatar will also have easy access to information about the destination’s tourism offerings, hospitality options and key tourism events online, with its official website (www.visitqatar.qa) now available in Mandarin. Addi-tionally, VisitQatar will establish a presence across the most prominent Chinese social media platforms in the coming months. QTA’s office in China is the third to open in Asia and the ninth globally. It joins an international net-work covering the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, the US, the GCC markets and South East Asia.

QTA roadshow in Oman & KuwaitQTA led a roadshow to promote Qatar

as a tourism destination in Kuwait and Oman in July. Joined by partners from

the private sector, they presented tour oper-ators with the latest updates on what QSF has to offer, while gathering insights that would help improve and tailor Qatar’s tour-ism offering for visitors from the two neighbouring countries. Saif Al Kuwari, Director of PR & Communication at QTA, said: “Our visits to Oman and Kuwait come as part of QTA’s wider strategic push to diversify Qatar’s tourist source markets.” The road show’s first stop was in Kuwait which has made the largest contribution to growth in GCC visitor arrivals to Qatar so far this year. To build on this, representatives from Qatar’s hospitality sector met with over 25 representatives of the country’s biggest tour operators. The roadshow then headed to Oman, coinciding with the last day of a three-day visit in which QTA had led a sen-ior delegation to meet with its counterparts in Oman to activate an agreement aimed at boosting tourism relations between the two nations.

Sightseeing: Through the lens eye

Pics: Qassim Rahmatullah, Salim Matramkot, Kammutty VP & Baher Amin / The Peninsula

7

The fourth and longest edition of Qatar Sum-mer Festival (QSF) ended on a high note with thousands of vis-

itors witnessing events at various festival locations across the country.

The Entertainment City alone, which is the festival’s centerpiece, attracted 145,000 visitors to its activities held at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) throughout the festival, said QSF organisers Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).

Visitors to the Entertainment City enjoyed 87 games to choose from across 11 categories catered to different ages, from toddler games and kids’ rides to arcade and virtual reality games to skills games as well as new exciting features such as the world’s larg-est inflatable obstacle course and the biggest trampoline park. More than 30 live shows and performances entertained visi-tors to the City.

Diverse shows and activities organised in other locations including malls, Katara, Souq Waqif, Souq Al Wakrah, Aspire Park and Aqua Park also saw thousands of citizens, residents and tourists taking advantage of their various offerings. This year’s summer festival started on June 25. It wa the longest edition

yet stretching for nearly 11 weeks kicking off on Eid Al Fitr and cul-minating during the Eid Al Adha holidays.

Malls which took part in the festival saw increased footfalls especially during the Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha holidays when a diverse lineup of shows and activ-ities were organised. Retail outlets in the participating malls wit-nessed rise in sales with their promotions including up to 50 percent discounts and the Mega Raffle in which over 305,000 vouchers were entered represent-ing over QR6m in retail spend.

One of the main features of the festival, the shop and win promotion saw the participation of 145 retail outlets at seven malls including Doha Festival City, Mall of Qatar, Al Khor Mall, Lagoona Mall, Gulf Mall, Landmark Mall and The Mall.

The festival also backed the country’s hospitality sector incorporating hotel and spa offers as one of its features. Hotels agree the festival, along with the country’s improved visa policies, helped bolster the industry during the typically off-peak summer season.

“Every festival or event helps as it pushes our business. The Summer Festival increased our occupancy during weekdays by 20 percent, which we consider

good during this time. This Sum-mer Festival improved occupancy rates and with the new visa rules, we are confident that guests will spend more time in Qatar,” Saeid Heidari, General Manager at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel.

After more than two months of exciting nationwide celebra-tions, the festival came to a close with an exciting show at Mall of Qatar highlighted by the raffle which gave away QR300,000 cash prize and a 2017 Bentley Continental GT V8 to the win-ners. From among thousands of entries, nine winners were drawn in the presence of repre-sentatives from the QTA and Consumer Protection Depart-ment at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce including five

winners of QR20,000 each, two winners of QR50,000 each, and one winner of QR100,000.

The seven participating malls also brought the curtains down on their unique entertain-ment and roaming shows which delighted thousands of citizens, residents and tourists. From acrobats and musicians to mas-cots and favourite characters in children’s stories, the perform-ances delighted the hearts of both the young and the young at heart.

Souq Waqif and Souq Al Wakrah which erected their respective tents filled with games, rides and activities for children also concluded their Eid activities yesterday after receiving hundreds of families during the Eid holidays.

Thousands of people also trooped the four-day Eid Al Adha Festival at the Cultural Vil-lage Foundation (Katara) . The big crowds enjoyed the shadow theatre performances and pyro-technic displays staged nightly at Katara beachfront.

Mall shows at shopping cen-tres organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) proved a huge draw among visitors of all ages-during Eid holidays. Gulf Mall, where a number of roaming shows were held, saw big turn-out of visitors. Solo artistes as well as troupes captivated hun-dreds of mall-goers with their unique performances and col-ourful costumes. The artistes and acts included an Oud player, Geisha characters, Chinese dragon dancers, African

drummers, Wonderland parade, Drumix parade and Giant ball walker.

Families, who trooped to Gulf Mall, enjoyed watching the roaming shows as well as tak-ing photos with the performers wearing elaborate costumes. The increase in the number of visitors was also noticed at Lagoona Mall with its thrice-daily staging of Peter Pan watched by hundreds of chil-dren and families.

Young audiences took a journey to the mythical island of Neverland with Peter Pan in his adventures along with fair-ies, pirates and Native Americans. Those who watched the shows were also treated to a meet and greeted and photo session with the characters.

Over 1,000 mindsports enthusiasts and thousands more spectators had fun at the fourth International Mindsports Cham-pionships which Qatar hosted for nine days at the Entertainment City, the first time the competi-tion was held in the Middle East.

The summer edition of Doha Comedy Festival also brought laughs at a sold out show at the Qatar National Convention Cen-tre. The show which brought together on one stage comedi-ans from several countries proved the power of laughter as an international language and standup comedy as the next big thing in live entertainment in this corner of the world.

Qatar Summer Festival delights thousands of citizens, residents and tourists

8

1. Andorra

2. Argentina

3. Australia

4. Azerbaijan

5. Belarus

6. Bolivia

7. Brazil

8. Brunei

9. Canada

10. Chile

11. China

12. Colombia

13. Costa Rica

14. Cuba

15. Ecuador

16. Georgia

1. Austria

2. Bahamas

3. Belgium

4. Bulgaria

5. Croatia

6. Cyprus

7. Czech Republic

8. Denmark

9. Estonia

10. Finland

11. France

12. Germany

13. Greece

14. Hungary

15. Iceland

16. Italy

17. Latvia

18. Liechtenstein

19. Lithuania

20. Luxembourg

21. Malta

22. Netherlands

23. Norway

24. Poland

25. Portugal

26. Romania

27. Seychelles

28. Slovakia

29. Slovenia

30. Spain

31. Sweden

32. Switzerland

33. Turkey

The nationals of the 33 countries listed below do not require prior visa arrangements and can obtain a visa waiver upon arrival in Qatar. The waiver will be valid for 180 days from the date of issuance and entitles its holder to spend up to 90 days in Qatar, during either a single trip or on multiple trips.

The nationals of the 47 countries listed below do not require prior visa arrangements and can obtain a visa waiver upon arrival in Qatar. The waiver will be valid for 30 days from the date of issuance and entitles its holder to spend up to 30 days in Qatar, during either a single trip or on multiple trips. This waiver may be extended for a further 30 days

17. Guyana

18. Hong Kong

19. India

20. Indonesia

21. Ireland

22. Japan

23. Kazakhstan

24. Lebanon

25. Macedonia

26. Malaysia

27. Maldives

28. Mexico

29. Moldova

30. Monaco

31. New Zealand

32. Panama

33. Paraguay

34. Peru

35. Russia

36. San Marino

37. Singapore

38. South Africa

39. South Korea

40. Suriname

41. Thailand

42. Ukraine

43. United Kingdom

44. United States

45. Uruguay

46. Vatican City

47. Venezuela

Visa-free entry to Qatar

In a landmark move, Qatar further eased its visa poli-cies allowing citizens of 80 countries visa-free entry effective early August. With

this announcement, Qatar has now the highest in the region in terms of number of nationalities eligible to enter visa-free, mak-ing it the most open country in the region.

Citizens of 80 countries wishing to visit Qatar will no longer need to apply or pay for a visa; instead, a multi-entry waiver will be issued free-of-charge at the port of entry, upon presentation of a valid passport with a minimum validity of six months and a confirmed onward or return ticket.

The announcement places the State of Qatar as the most open country in the region. This is a momentous occasion for Qatar, making the number of nationalities eligible to enter our country without a visa the high-est in region, which is something that we are very proud of,” said Qatar Airways Group Chief Exec-utive Akbar Al Baker.

"Qatar Airways is the patri-otic flag carrier for the State of Qatar and as such we are extremely honoured to bring millions of people each year to our beautiful, welcoming and historic country. This important initiative from the Ministry of Interior and Qatar Tourism Authority will provide an opportunity to welcome even more visitors, from even more countries, to experience the many exciting attractions that await them.” According to Has-san Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism

Development officer at Qatar Tourism Authority, the countries are divided into two groups. The first consists of 33 countries whose nationals are eligible for a waiver that is valid for 180 days from the date of issuance and entitles its holder to spend up to 90 days in Qatar, during either a single trip or on multiple trips.

The second category consists of 47 countries whose nationals are eligible for a waiver that is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance, during either a sin-gle trip or on multiple trips. The visa holder can apply for a renewal of the waiver for an additional 30 days in Qatar.

Last month, Qatar launched an e-visa platform, www.qatarvisaservice.com through which travellers of all national-ities can apply for tourist and visitor visas with more efficiency and ease.

The country is also consid-ering further enhancements to its visa policy, such as waiving visa requirements for holders of a residence permit or a valid visa from the nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council, United

Kingdom, United States of Amer-ica, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or the Schengen coun-tries. This waiver would allow eligible visitors to obtain an Elec-tronic Travel Authorisation by completing a simple online application at least 48 hours prior to travel.

In November 2016, Qatar introduced a free transit visa, which allows passengers of all nationalities transiting in Qatar for a minimum of five hours to stay in Qatar for up to 96 hours (four days). In May 2017, QTA launched +Qatar, an initiative to promote the country as a stopo-ver destination, with the national carrier, Qatar Airways.

These measures, along with intensified international market-ing, have resulted in a 39 percent increase in the number of stop-over visitors during the first six months of 2017, compared with the same period last year.

“Since introducing the tran-sit visa last November, we have processed 60,000 applications. We expect to process 200,000 by the end of this year. Just a few months ago we announced our

+Qatar campaign of free transit visa and the offer of three-, four- and five-star hotel stays for first class, business class and econ-omy class passengers stopping over Qatar. As a result we have seen more than 6,000 visitors take advantage of this offer and continue to receive an average of 600 applications a day for these visas,” said Al Baker.

“The demand for transit visas alone will deliver over 200,000 additional visitors to Doha in the next 12 months. This growing demand will place Qatar amongst the world’s most pop-ular destinations for long-haul transit visitors,” he added.

Al Ibrahim stressed that visa facilitation is a critical compo-nent of the national tourism sector strategy, which QTA is currently reviewing in partner-ship with stakeholders from the public and private sectors. “Eas-ing entry to Qatar is a key enabler for the growth of Qatar’s tour-ism industry. With this announcement we are already turning the pages of the Next Chapter of Qatar’s journey towards 2030,” he said.

Al Ibrahim said: “With 80 countries eligible for a visa waiver, Qatar is now the most open country in the region and we are delighted to invite visi-tors to discover our renowned hospitality, cultural heritage and natural treasures.

“Together with our partners in the public and private sectors, we have examined all of the ele-ments needed to create a smooth and enticing experience that can attract visitors from around the world. There is no

Visa-free entry for 80 nationalities

Citizens of 80 countries wishing to visit Qatar will no longer need to apply or pay for a visa; instead, a multi-entry waiver will be issued free-of-charge at the port of entry, upon presentation of a valid passport with a minimum validity of six months and a confirmed onward or return ticket.

doubt that facilitating and streamlining access at all ports of entry are key factors in cre-ating a positive first and lasting impression of Qatar,” he added.

Brigadier Mohammed Al Ateeq, Director General of the Department of Passport and Expatriates Affairs at MoI, com-mented, “We are very pleased to announce that nationals of 80 countries are now eligible for a

visa waiver and can enter Qatar without requiring any prior visa arrangements. Together with our partners at QTA and Qatar Air-ways, we have been working to enhance our country’s visa pol-icies and implement solutions to better facilitate travel to Qatar. Further enhancements are being studied and we look forward to announcing them in due course.”