By Peter Alagos
Business Reporter
The meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibition (MICE) industry poses as a “great opportunity” for Qatar to showcase its capabilities and flexibility as a host destination, an official of the Qatar MICE Development
Institute (QMDI) has said.
Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, acting director (sales and marketing), QMDI, said the success of an event will attract interest and position Qatar to entice more companies and event orgainsers to bring large conferences and exhibitions to the country.
Al-Kuwari stated that Qatar has set its sights on becoming a global meetings destination as it had invested more than $20bn in tourism-related infrastructure that will boost the country’s MICE credentials.
“Being part of the MICE industry in Qatar, I strongly believe that this industry is a key pillar of the economic diversification and growth of the country,” al-Kuwari stressed.
He noted that luxury hotels, world-class aviation facilities, and high-profile events will command the attention of industry leaders to further invest in the country.
Also, al-Kuwari said the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup was instrumental in raising awareness about the country’s strengths as a MICE destination and put Qatar on the global tourism map.
According to QMDI official, established source markets for the regional meetings industry are being challenged by emerging markets led by India and China, which, in turn, are reshaping the dynamics of the Middle East market.
“Gulf countries seeking tourism growth are all looking eastward whether for business or leisure guests,” al-Kuwari noted.
Quoting a report from Euromonitor International, al-Kuwari said China and India are set to be in the top two markets in terms of absolute growth in outbound visitor numbers up to 2016.
China, home to the world’s fastest growing source of outbound travellers (65mn in 2011), will have more than 100mn outbound travellers by 2020, according to the UN World Tourism
Organisation (UNWTO).
India will spawn more than 50mn travellers with a spending power of $28bn per year, it added.
The Dubai Convention Bureau (DCB), which opened offices in Beijing and Shanghai in late 2010, generates 25% of its meeting and event business from the Asia Pacific region.
India was the UAE’s largest trading partner in 2011 while China held the number two spot. The Middle East’s longstanding source markets like the UK, Germany, and France are waning but showing significant growth from the China and India markets,
al-Kuwari said.
Al-Kuwari said the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2013-2014, which ranks the world’s fastest growing economies, has placed Qatar in number 13 ahead of other countries in the region including the United Arab Emirates (19th), Saudi Arabia (20th), and Kuwait (36th).
“Differentiation will be the key strategy to gain competitive advantage for the MICE market,” al-Kuwari stressed.
Quoting the latest UNWTO barometer, al-Kuwari said receipts in destinations worldwide from expenditure by international visitors on accommodation, food and drink, entertainment, shopping and goods, and other services, reached an
estimated $1,159bn in 2013.
International tourism (travel and passenger transport) accounts for 29% of the world’s exports of services and 6% of overall exports of goods and services. As a worldwide export category, tourism ranks fifth after fuels, chemicals, food, and automotive products, while ranking first in many developing countries.
Asia and the Pacific is the fastest growing region while Europe takes the biggest share, which accounts for 42% of all international tourism. In the Middle East, total tourism receipts (4% share) are estimated at $47bn, UNWTO said.