Qatar Tourism has announced a package of plans and programmes for 2023, as part of its strategy aimed at strengthening Qatar's position as a leading global tourist destination by attracting 6mn visitors annually and raising the tourism sector's contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to 12% by 2030.
Among the most prominent programmes of the new year is the cruise season, with expectations of more than 100 visits, receiving about 300,000 visitors, the Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported Saturday.
With the curtain falling on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar is moving steadily towards the future to achieve its National Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the national economy. The tourism sector comes at the forefront of sectors that enhance this trend by raising its contribution to the GDP from 7% to 12%, in addition to doubling job opportunities, while continuing efforts to enhance Qatar's position as a leading global destination for service excellence.
The recent selection of Doha as the capital of Arab tourism for the year 2023 by the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism is an additional step towards consolidating its position as an attractive tourist destination. In this context, HE Akbar al-Baker, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, said this choice constitutes an acknowledgment that Doha is a wonderful city that offers an amazing tourist experience to all international travellers, pointing out that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has allowed many to experience Qatar's hospitality, culture and authentic heritage. He added: "This is not all, as a full calendar of diverse and distinctive events awaits us in 2023, in addition to the opening of more attractions and entertainment destinations across the country during the new year."
During the past few years, Qatar has witnessed a huge construction renaissance by establishing a solid infrastructure of roads, railways, airports, ports and service networks of electricity, water and communications, while the most luxurious international hotels emerged from the heart of the desert. Not only that, Qatar plans to increase domestic spending in tourist destinations by 3-4 times, attract more internal investments, and have a multiplier effect on the growth of the national economy.
In this context, Haya al-Nuaimi, head of Promotion at Qatar Tourism, said: "Qatar has achieved an amazing construction journey over the past few decades and today it is full of countless options that extend across the length and breadth of the country."
She added: "Thanks to its modern, world-class facilities, safe environment, and family-friendly activities and events, Qatar has become an ideal choice for tourists of all categories, and is fully equipped to achieve its goal of receiving 6mn visitors annually by 2030."
Hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, during which the country welcomed 1.4mn visitors from around the world, is part of Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to transform Qatar into a global community and provide a higher standard of living by increasing the size of the economy. The tournament is expected to help attract about 40mn visitors in the coming years, which constitutes a quantum leap in the country's tourism development process.
The data indicates that the financial returns achieved from hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 amounted to about $17bn, which are various immediate and future returns. FIFA estimated that about 5bn people around the world watched the Qatar 2022 matches, which raises the brand and status of Qatar.
In the context of its steps to enhance its tourism status and meet the needs of its visitors, Qatar has opened a large number of new hotels, public beaches and shopping centres in recent years, which has caused a huge boom in the entertainment and hospitality scene.
Tourism expert Shadi Qassem stressed that Qatar, after its successful hosting of the World Cup, announced its tourism readiness and made its mark on the global tourist map. He pointed to the integration of tourism facilities with facilitated procedures, in terms of ease of obtaining visas, smooth procedures and the availability of convenient means of transportation in the form of metro and buses.
He added: "Qatar is moving in the right direction", noting that the impressions of visitors and fans of the World Cup were good about the wonderful organisation of the tournament.
Forecasts indicate that Qatar's economy will grow by 3.4% in 2022 and 2023, thanks to the momentum of hosting the World Cup, which will enhance Qatar's position on the tourism map.
Qatar Tourism has run the campaign 'Qatar is more than a feeling' during the past few weeks, and this global campaign is scheduled to expand in more than 17 tourist markets around the world, in addition to plans to launch a calendar full of events in the year 2023 and beyond. This will include activities that will continue for more than 300 days. It includes Qatar Live shows, shopping festivals and sporting events, as well as seasonal celebrations and holidays.
