Cirque du Soleil, the world-famous entertainment group, which concluded its sell-out shows of ‘Saltimbanco’ at Doha’s Aspire Dome on Saturday, looks forward to returning to the country in future.“Cirque du Soleil was thrilled to perform for the first time ever in Qatar,” Saltimbanco company manager, Chris May said.Pointing out that the audiences were warm and hospitable and performing for Qatar’s diverse population was an incredible experience for the team.Supported by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), SDI Marketing, St Regis Hotel Doha and Chevrolet, the six shows over four days sold nearly 18,000 tickets, attracting visitors from Qatar and all around the GCC. “QTA is proud to have lent its support for the spectacular internationally renowned Cirque du Soleil, staging its longest-running show Saltimbanco in Doha,” said Abdullah Mallala al-Bader, head of tourism.Bringing a world-class act like Cirque du Soleil to the country underlines the QTA’s role to offer residents and tourists alike the very best in family entertainment in Qatar to reinforce it as a world-class tourist destination, he said.“Qatar has proved it can stage even the largest of events and for Cirque du Soleil to choose it as a location for their magnificent show underlines its reputation,” al-Bader added. A vivid portrayal of the diversity that defines a metropolis, Saltimbanco is Cirque du Soleil’s longest running touring show and has performed since 1992 to sell-out audiences across the world, enticing over 13mn enthusiastic fans. The troupe will continue their tour on to Southeast Asia with stops in Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila before marking the grand finale of Saltimbanco at Cirque du Soleil’s international headquarters in Montreal, Canada, in December this year.