Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is expecting more visitors from Kuwait and Oman, as well as people beyond the region, to spend their summer and Eid holidays in the country this year.
"We expect different markets to come to Qatar not only this summer but also up to Eid al-Adha," QTA’s festivals and events director Mashal Shahbik said yesterday on the sidelines of a media tour at the Entertainment City at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
“We have witnessed an increase from the Kuwaiti market from the beginning of this year and we are hoping this would continue,” she explained. 
Shahbik disclosed that Kuwaiti nationals have created a campaign on social media through a hashtag, urging their compatriots to spend Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays in Qatar.
QTA has always been keen to “welcoming visitors warmly wherever they come from” and tries to have multiple activities in Doha that suit their interest, according to Shahbik.
Based on QTA figures, the number of Kuwaiti nationals who visited Qatar from January to May has increased by 7% compared to the same months last year. Qatar’s largest contribution to growth in GCC visitor arrivals come from Kuwait during this period.
QTA believes “this is the right time to refocus promotional efforts elsewhere” in the GCC as it looks forward to welcoming “our brothers and sisters from Kuwait and Oman."
Taking advantage of Qatar Airways’ vast reach and presence to more than 130 destinations globally, QTA is also eyeing visitors from other regions.
QTA’s wide network of representative offices in Turkey, the US, Italy, Germany, the UK, France and Singapore are also continuously intensifying their promotional efforts to entice visitors to come to Qatar.
“Our strategy is not only focusing on surrounding countries but further onto different destinations and markets,” Shahbik stressed. “We are hoping (visitors beyond the region) in the second half of the Qatar Summer Festival and then as Eid al-Adha approaches.”
Qatar had a 7% increase in visitor arrivals between January and May compared to the same period in 2016. 
According to QTA, the largest contributors to the growth were visiting nationals of the Americas and Europe – whose numbers increased by 9% and 14% respectively. 
In a statement, QTA noted that data breakdown by visa type shows a 27% increase in leisure visitors, demonstrating the increasingly diverse leisure options for tourists seeking family-friendly entertainment and authentic hospitality.
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