Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Qatar Development Bank (QDB) will hold a special event, Qatar Tourism Investment Opportunities, on March 2 in a bid to boost the country’s tourism sector.
In this connection, QTA and QDB have launched a media campaign to invite commercial businesses and members of the private sector to the event to support the country’s goal of becoming a world-class and hospitality destination, as part of the National Tourism Sector Strategy scheduled to be announced today (February 23).
Entrepreneurs and business leaders in Qatar are invited to attend the event where details of six investment opportunities will be revealed, each of which is intended to be developed by a private sector partner with support from QTA and QDB.
The six projects will be part of the first phase of a series of investment opportunities and are related to dhow cruises, luxury coaches, 4x4 leasing, a cottage market, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) Destination Management Company (DMC) and integrated ticking and mobile information centres. A procurement process will begin following the Qatar Tourism Investment Opportunities event to select a suitable developer for each project.
Issa bin Mohamed al-Mohannadi, chairman of QTA, said: “Tourism is a growing pillar of the expanding Qatari economy, driven by the fact that Qatar is one of the fastest-developing leisure and business tourism markets in the world today. The Qatar Tourism Investment Opportunities event, in partnership with QDB, is an initiative to showcase to potential private sector investors - entrepreneurs, SMEs and corporations - the potential this rapidly growing sector offers and the incentive available to participate in its growth.”  
Abdulaziz bin Nasser al-Khalifa, CEO of QDB, said: “Our partnership with QTA falls in line with QDB’s aim to enhance the private sector’s contribution to Qatar’s economy. We at QDB are mandated to support and stimulate the private sector and SME growth in the tourism sector and these six projects have been selected as a first phase because they are attractive to the private sector while having enormous potential to benefit the local tourism sector.”
Successful bidders will benefit from QTA’s assistance in obtaining licences, access to development and operating guidelines, priority booking for QTA functions and events, visibility on the authority’s websites and social media platforms and, wherever possible, exposure at  international tourism exhibitions. They will also get low-interest loans and extended repayment periods from QDB.
The Qatar Tourism Investment Opportunities event will take place at Mirqab Hall, Four Seasons Hotel, at 4pm on March 2.

QTA to launch national strategy today

Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) will  launch the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS) 2030 today. The ceremony that will take place at  Katara, will be attended by the Secretary General of the UNWTO, Dr Taleb Rifai, key dignitaries, stakeholders from both the public and the private sector and other guests.
The QNTSS 2030 aims to position Qatar as a world-class destination with deep cultural roots.
The strategy was developed following a nation-wide consultative process and is an integrated effort to advance Qatar’s tourism sector.
It will also ensure the country’s sustainable development in line with the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
With numerous economic, social, cultural, and environmental benefits, the strategy defines the ambitious targets that Qatar is working on achieving by 2030 and lays out  plans, programmes, projects, and policies that will help in achieving them.
The launch of the QNTSS 2030 will serve as the road map of QTA’s mission to lead the tourism industry through planning, regulating and promoting prosperous and sustainable tourism in Qatar.