With the holy month of Ramadan beginning on July 10, the demand for tents across Qatar has grown by 65% this year compared to the previous year, according to Al Baddad International,  one of the top providers of tents and prefab buildings globally.
The increase in market activity during 2013 has been attributed to several factors, including an uptake in economic activity, attracting investment and driving consumer spending across the country. Moreover, Qatar’s citizens enjoy the highest income per capita in the world, its hospitality sector is growing at a fast pace with the opening of several new units, tourism activity is robust and foreign and international companies are entering the market to tap its investment opportunities. All these factors have contributed to growth in the tents market.
“The market for tents and prefab buildings in Qatar has witnessed tremendous growth over the past few years,” said Zayed al-Baddad, chairman of Al Baddad International. “This is a reflection of the country’s robust construction and infrastructure activity and strong economic performance.”
“Ramadan represents the peak demand period for various tents,” said al-Baddad. “This is largely due to extensive private and charitable activities during the month, which normally sees a 100% growth in demand as compared to other months during the year.”
The hospitality sector accounts for the lion’s share of this increase, representing 60% of the total. Another 20% of the demand comes from charitable, social and religious activities, while private functions snap up the remaining 20%, according to the executive.
Providing tents during this important period comes with its own challenges and responsibilities, said al-Baddad. Safety and security as well as the use of high-quality materials in manufacturing and assembling the tents are a top priority for the company. The products provided by Al Baddad adhere to the highest international standards, ensuring that they are fire-proof, offer a temperature-controlled environment and provide the highest levels of comfort for end users, al-Baddad explains. This is particularly crucial given that Ramadan coincides with extremely hot weather conditions this year, making ventilation and cooling an important aspect while choosing tents.
Moreover, integration of services is vital to meet market requirements and developments, especially during Ramadan. “We have realised the importance of service integration since our early days. Based on this, we have successfully integrated our services to include the entire spectrum of activities .”