Qatar is taking a problem-solving approach to tourism innovation, seeking to identify challenges across the visitor journey and turn promising technology ideas into solutions that can be tested and deployed, a Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) official has said.
“Our core mission is to move innovation from conversation to implementation,” Amna al-Kaabi, head of Emerging Technologies, told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the ministry’s “Innovation in Action: Tourism” session Monday.
She highlighted the potential of generative and agentic artificial intelligence (AI), immersive technologies, computer vision, robotics and connected systems to deliver more personalised services, smoother visitor journeys and richer cultural experiences.
The MCIT’s Tasmu Innovation Lab is bringing tourism stakeholders, government entities, technology providers and innovators together to identify challenges and develop practical solutions that can be tested through pilots and proofs of concept.
Al-Kaabi said the initiative aims to ensure technology is adopted where it delivers measurable value, rather than simply following emerging trends.
“Ultimately, it serves our broader goal of better government services, stronger economic sectors and enhanced experiences for everyone in Qatar,” she said.
The tourism session is part of the wider “Innovation in Action” series, which brings stakeholders together to address sector-specific challenges and explore technology-driven solutions.
Al-Kaabi said tourism was selected because of its importance to Qatar’s economic diversification and international growth, as well as the complexity of the visitor experience, which spans multiple interconnected services.
“Tourism also depends on a connected visitor journey across culture, hospitality, transport, digital services and other partners,” she said. “That makes it a sector where the right innovation, applied in the right place, can have a visible impact on both the economy and the visitor.”
Rather than adopting every emerging technology, the initiative focuses on identifying specific challenges and determining which technologies can address them effectively.
“These tools can help deliver more personalised information and services, smoother visitor journeys, richer cultural experiences and more efficient operations across the tourism ecosystem,” al-Kaabi said.
Potential applications could span the visitor journey, from trip planning and navigation to discovering Qatar’s cultural attractions and accessing services.
However, al-Kaabi stressed that the priority is to test technologies in real-world settings and determine where they can deliver the greatest value to visitors and tourism-sector partners.
She described the Tasmu Innovation Lab as the MCIT’s national innovation engine, working with government entities and sector partners to identify priority challenges, define potential use cases and connect them with innovators capable of developing solutions.
The lab provides advisory services, research, training, workshops, sandbox environments and proof-of-concept development, allowing organisations to validate solutions before making larger investments.
“This approach helps organisations test and validate solutions before making larger-scale investments, reducing risk and focusing innovation on measurable value,” al-Kaabi said.
The tourism session feedback will be assessed based on potential impact and readiness for testing.
The most promising opportunities could then be developed into defined use cases and matched with suitable innovators and technology partners.
The lab will support the development, testing and refinement of selected proofs of concept, creating what al-Kaabi described as a “clear pathway from idea to real-world deployment”.
For visitors, the long-term objective is a tourism experience that is more seamless, accessible and personalised, while helping tourism partners operate more efficiently.
The initiative also supports Qatar’s wider digital transformation agenda under the Digital Agenda 2030 by creating pathways towards technologies that address actual needs.
Testing solutions before wider investment will allow tourism stakeholders to assess what works in Qatar’s specific environment and determine which innovations merit broader deployment.
As Qatar continues to strengthen its tourism offering, the initiative reflects a shift towards using technology not simply as an additional feature of the visitor experience, but as a practical tool to address challenges and create greater value across the sector.
