India is a “significant market” for Qatar Airways as it is one of the world’s fastest growing economies with “tremendous business opportunities,” said Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar al-Baker.
“The country continues to show strong economic growth and an increasing demand for air travel to and from all corners of the globe.
The aviation industry contributes significantly to India’s prosperous tourism sector and more liberal air service access is required for the tourism industry to develop even further,” al-Baker said at a CEO panel at the Incredible India Tourism Investors’ Summit (IITIS) in New Delhi.
Al-Baker said, “As a significant contributor to this ongoing development, Qatar Airways will remain committed to providing award-winning service, superior on-board products and seamless connections to our expansive network.
We currently operate from 13 of India’s cities with more than 100 weekly flights, and offer a premium travel experience with our warm hospitality, world-class service, exclusively tailored to meet travellers’ needs.”
IITIS is a platform for investors across the globe to explore investment opportunities available within India’s tourism sector as well as core supporting infrastructure.
It also serves as a constructive forum for local investors to identify opportunities for technical collaboration and global partnerships.
Qatar Airways was the only GCC carrier that participated in IITIS 2016 highlighting an “unprecedented level of commitment to, and belief in, India’s tourism market.”
During the event, al-Baker greeted India’s Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Arun Jaitley, and also met with the Minister of State for Culture and Tourism, Dr Mahesh Sharma, “building upon the strong ties” that already exist between Qatar Airways and India.
Qatar Airways operations to India cover daily services to Doha from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Nagpur and Bengaluru, together with 11-flights-a-week from Cochin and double daily flights from Delhi.
The CEO panel discussed ways to create an environment for investment in the tourism sector and to overcome any obstacles to growth.
The panel began with keynote addresses from Vinod Zutshi, secretary, Ministry of Tourism and Ramesh Abhishek, secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India.
Also present at the panel were Deepak Bagla, managing director & CEO of Invest India; Priya Paul, chairperson of Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels and Arun Nanda, chairman, CII Tourism & Hospitality Committee and chairman, Club Mahindra.