Marsa Malaz Kempinski general manager Wissam Suleiman says "luxury starts in Qatar." PICTURE: Jayan Orma.
By Joey Aguilar
Staff Reporter
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is on the right track in promoting the country as a high-end tourist destination, a senior official of a newly opened “ultra-luxury resort” in Doha told Gulf Times.
Wissam Suleiman, general manager at Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha, said the opening of QTA’s overseas offices will significantly help the country’s hospitality sector grow further.
“This is very good for the hotels and speaking about Marsa Malaz Kempinski, the guest who comes from Europe or from other parts of the world, he or she can stay for a full week without even going out,” he pointed out. “Luxury starts here.”
Citing an increase in the number of tourists to Qatar last year, some officials at QTA overseas offices had told Gulf Times that they will exert extra efforts to attract more leisure travellers to the country this year.
The QTA Germany office alone had recorded around 50,000 arrivals (from Germany, Austria and Switzerland) to Qatar in 2013. It expects the number to increase between 10 and 20% this year by way of special campaigns.
Suleiman said the opening of Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl – Doha and Banana Island will also help Qatar’s tourism industry grow. He sees the operation of the two as a direct complement rather than a competition.
“We are looking even more to come to Doha,” he noted. “When you see more hotels, this will give more opportunities to people to come and they will trust that this is the right luxury destination.”
Asked about his expectations this year, Suleiman expressed optimism that more developments will take place since Qatar is set to host numerous international events in the coming years, especially the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
He said Qatar had put its mark on the world tourism map, attracting more people to the country.
“They want to see what is Qatar, what is the product of Qatar, and from the airport you will already feel the hospitality in this country,” stressed Suleiman.
He also reiterated the importance of having passionate, knowledgeable and well-trained hospitality staff saying they are the front liners in dealing with guests.
“You can build whatever structure you want but without the heart (the staff), it will not work well,” noted the senior resort official. “They should have the passion to give the appropriate service.”
“If you want to serve luxury, you have to live luxury and this is what we give to the staff,” he added.
Once fully operational, Marsa Malaz Kempinski will have a total of 650 employees comprised of 56 different nationalities.
