Plan to turn Al-Shamal into a tourist destination

By Zia Khan/Staff ReporterQatar is putting finishing touches to a master plan to convert Al-Shamal municipality into a major tourist destination, senior officials yesterday said.Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) Chairman Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi revealed the project would include building a modern harbour and developing the area’s archaeological heritage that traces back to pre-Islamic times.He told journalists  the government was pushing ahead with both the money and the technical expertise to develop Al-Shamal as a town that offers a lot to potential travellers from outside the country. He, however, did not mention the amount proposed to be spent on the project.  Al-Mohannadi was speaking to the representatives of Qatar’s  newspapers during a guided tour to the municipality some 100km north of the capital Doha.Hussain bin Ibrahim al-Fadala, Director of Control Department, Municipality of North, said the first step of the project was  to identify sites that could be developed as tourist attractions.The QTA chief said Al-Shamal—an area that was the preferred living place for a majority of Qataris before  oil exploration in the south during last century—has a great potential to become a tourist attraction for multiple reasons.“It is a mix of history and modernity…serenity and mystery. One can anticipate people being lured into exploring it,” said the chairman, whose authority is the key government arm to undertake tourism-related projects across Qatar.“People think Doha is the only option when it comes to exploring Qatar. It is not the case…we have this place as well, less buzzing though but having its own flair to offer.” Al-Shamal is a municipality in the State of Qatar. The name means ‘city of the north’—although the population is barely over 5,000. The municipality will be home to the proposed 45,330-seat Al-Shamal Stadium, one of 12 venues to be used to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.Al-Mohannadi said that the new move could prove to be a game changer for the area by bringing in a lot of investment in tourism-related projects.Al-Fadala said building infrastructure including hotels, roads and other facilities was the main objective of the project. Already yards away from the municipality compound excavators are seen digging the soil, bulldozers are levelling the ground and several dozen engineers and some architects are busy developing a site, quietly but vigorously.Along  the sealine a new harbour is also taking shape. Around the multilane highway that goes through the historic town one can notice a modern city emerging.The QTA chief said the idea is to boost local economy not only to promote tourism but also to control migration of people from Al-Shamal to Doha.The journey from Doha to Al-Shamal goes through a sprawling sandy landscape, offering what can be called the essence of the desert. On both sides of the highway, there are several houses long abandoned by their inhabitants who moved to other places for better opportunities but structures are still intact as monuments. Page 6Food inspection at Doha Trade FairDoha Municipality yesterday announced it will supervise and inspect all food products at the Doha Trade Fair 2013, which opened on Tuesday. The municipality said in a press statement that the supervision and inspection by the Department of Health Control comes at the request of the exhibition organisers. So far, small amounts of sweets and honey, which did not carry statement cards or expiry date, have been removed. Regulations to be complied with include an adequate space for displayed food, appropriate storing, circulation, conservation and personal hygiene for workers, in addition to ban on use of prohibited substances such foam and plastic cups for serving hot meals. Organised at the Doha Exhibition Center by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) in co-operation with Maraya Public Relations, around 400 companies from 29 countries are taking part in the exhibition.