QTA chairman Issa bin Mohamed al-Muhannadi and tourism director Abdullah al-Badr at the press conference.

The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA)  yesterday announced the launch of the Eid Festivals 2013, featuring  educational and entertainment activities, shows and cultural performances taking place at various venues in Doha and Al Khor.

It follows the success of last year’s Eyes on Qatar festivals.

All the malls in Qatar will be part of this year’s Eid Festivals.

QTA has extended the “celebration paths” to reach The Pearl where  children can enjoy face painting and  “magic balloon” programmes.

The Lusail International Circuit for Shooting, Racing and Equestrian Club will be open to visitors.

For the first time during the Eid Festivals, QTA will hold activities  at Al Shaqab where air sports are being organised by Qatar Air Sports Committee (QASC) and  helicopter rides in collaboration with Gulf Helicopters.

There will also be visits to Mohamad bin Abdul Wahhab mosque being a major architectural piece and a cultural centre as well as field trips to Al Maha Sanctuary and the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani museum.

Cultural and heritage activities will be part of the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha Festivals. QTA is organising the festivals in co-operation with the Private Engineering Office, Souq Waqif, Katara Cultural Village, the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and Sawat Al Rayyan.

“There is now much more to see and do in Qatar than ever before,” QTA chairman Issa bin Mohamed al-Muhannadi  said while announcing plans for the festivals at a press conference.

“It is our task at Qatar Tourism Authority to offer residents and tourists alike a wide range of events and attractions, in addition to positioning Qatar as a world-class tourism hub for business, leisure, culture, education and sport,” al-Muhannadi said.

“We  aim to promote Qatar as a destination for families and leisure with emphasis on engaging with residents and the region as a whole,” he added.

Detailed programme of the Eid Festivals celebrations will be announced through a campaign, covering all media including the Internet.

QTA tourism director Abdullah al-Badr said that this year’s Eid Festivals would see the active participation of the private sector.

“This year,  private companies will participate in the celebrations by organising several activities which include kayaking/canoeing, wake-boarding, sailing lesson tours, parasailing , scuba diving  and sky diving.”

The organising of the Eid Festival, he said, was part of QTA’s plan to attract more tourists to Qatar, especially those from the Gulf region.

“QTA has, for the first time in the region, successful brought Disney on Ice, 100 year of Magic and also recently organised the international Cirque Du Soliel and the second edition for the WWE in Qatar.”

This year, he said, QTA had worked on developing the Food Festival in its third edition where Qatar Airways had participated as a partner, and the flying restaurant was introduced for the first time.

He also referred to the success of the Doha Watches and Jewellery Exhibition in its 10th edition and the Motor Show as well as the Trade Exhibition and Hya Abaya.

“The launch of the QTA’s new website is aligned with its vision to provide the most up-to-date services and to promote Qatar as the world’s entertainment hub.This phase comes as a prelude to other stages to launch related sites and advanced applications on smartphones, that will help visitors and residents while browsing the tourism products in Qatar as well as activities and events throughout the year,” QTA marketing and PR director Hind Zeinal said.

There would be separation between promotional sites and the official website of QTA, she added.

Qatar has witnessed an increase in the number of tourists visiting from the region. The total number of tourists from GCC countries grew by 13% while tourists from the rest of the world increased by 10% last year.  

Eighty-one hotels in 2012 offered a total of 13,407 rooms, achieving 60% occupancy rates.

During the first quarter of this year, hotel occupancy increased to 68% , even though there was an increase in the number of hotels in Doha.

The occupancy of the hotel rooms increased to 15.5%  in May this year compared to last  May.