Initiatives like the Qatar Summer Festival, spearheaded by the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), have helped transform the country into a “viable and potential” family destination in the Gulf, a hotel executive has said.
Shangri-La Hotel Doha general manager Alex Willats, noted that the hotel business depends both on the local and international market, lauded the QTA for its efforts to attract tourists into the country through events and partnerships with various establishments.
“It’s great to see that Qatar is now harnessing that through the summer campaign. QTA is looking for ways to generate interest, not just for the GCC and other international travellers to come, but also to work with local residents and local partners like the hotels to give us the chance to come up with some suggestions, and hopefully for creative ideas for people to do while they are still in the country,” Willats told Gulf Times yesterday.
He said it is important for QTA and its partners “to work collectively” to raise the profile of Qatar within the Gulf and to cement its reputation as a “very viable and potential” destination.
 The Qatar Summer Festival, which is being held at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC) until August 31, has attracted not only the local population but visitors from other GCC neighbours like Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
“It’s encouraging to see that QTA has recognised that even though there are people that leave Qatar during the summer season, there’s still a large community that stays behind,” Willats observed.
“While still in its infancy stage, I think the Qatar Summer Festival should very much be a partnership between the various elements of the tourism bodies that exist within the country,” he elaborated, citing the hotels, museums, and Qatar’s cultural sights and destinations.
Willats also underscored Qatar’s proximity to GCC states and the Mena region, as well as its accessibility to European and Asian countries.
“Qatar is very accessible so, it’s really very much in the middle and this gives it a great opportunity to market the country as an all-year-round destination even in the summer. There are always people from cooler climates looking for the summer sun and a little bit more heat. I think Qatar has a great opportunity to position itself alongside this campaign.
“I think kudos is due to QTA for what they’re doing and for taking some brave steps in pushing that area forward. We very much see ourselves as part of that initiative in driving the business forward in Doha,” Willats said.