Top hotelier suggests cost effective package to attract tourists

The creation of an official tourism body will further promote tourism in the region and bring in inbound businesses into the GCC countries, a veteran hotelier has said.“Having a council will further boost tourism initiatives and strategies to attract more visitors from around the world,” Filippo Sona, director, head (hotels) at Colliers International Mena, told Gulf Times on the sidelines of a Qatar Projects discussion yesterday.“More co-ordination and collaboration from airline routes to other packages, to ground transportation, places to visit, and so much can be done,” he said. “People can come on a 10-day holiday and visit different countries, and there are plenty to see and to do.”To keep visitors within the GCC countries, Sona said a cost effective package must be offered, especially to those who travel long distances, such as people from the US.According to the hotelier, these tourists would stay for a couple of days and tend to do various activities and visit more places. “If you bring them in here, their disposable income gets spent.“Qatar and the other GCC countries have tourism infrastructures such as a state-of-the-art airport, world-class hotels, heritage places and museums, and shopping malls, among others,” he added.He also suggested to have what he described as a “super iconic hotel in Qatar” similar to Dubai’s Burj Al Arab Jumeirah to entice more tourists to visit and stay in the country.“What is needed is something people will talk about and may want to come and see.” Sona also cited the success of Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, The Venetian Hotel in Maao, and Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai, among others, which bring in large number of visitors annually.However, he pointed out that a huge investment is needed to build such tourism structure.“We are talking of billions of dollars in here, but this will change the shape and the future of Qatar tourism,” Sona said. “This is the thing that they need to do, something that sparks news, but at moment we don’t have it.”