The five-day social media contest organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has been helping efforts to highlight the unique offerings at each tourist destination in the country, it is learnt.
The contest, which started on September 27 coinciding with the World Tourism Day (WTD) celebration, invites residents to take pictures at life-size photo frames located at eight landmarks in Qatar.
Speaking to Gulf Times, a WTD staff assigned at one of the locations said the increasing number of pictures uploaded on social media by participants has been getting positive comments from netizens.
“More pictures are being uploaded on Instagram than Twitter but many participants are also posting tweets about the celebration with the hashtags #WTD2016 and #ShowcaseQatar,” he noted. “They also tell a lot of nice things about the places they have visited.”
The booths and life-size photo frames saw long queues since day one from visitors who want to take part in the contest especially during peak periods of the day.
Those who had successfully uploaded their pictures either on Instagram or Twitter received instant gifts.
Besides the fun the contest provides, another WTD staff pointed out that several visitors have also been enjoying the various unique tourism offerings of each destination.
She cited the participants’ (both new and longtime Qatar residents) interest in exploring the venues, “which are now becoming popular to both
domestic and foreign visitors”.
“A resident told me she loves to visit Katara – the Cultural Village to see the art exhibitions and makes sure to drink karak and eat sweet chapatti at the beach area,” she said. “A couple, on the other hand, prefers Souq Waqif because of its authentic Arabic charm.”
“Then a group of newly-arrived Sudanese expatriates told me they want to visit Al Zubarah Fort, ‘East-West/West-East’ installation art by American artist Richard Serra, and other tourist destinations that are far from Doha,” she added.
The staff tries to speak to as many visitors as possible asking them about their previous and recent experiences in visiting these destinations.
“For couples and families I have spoken to, the Museum of Islamic Art, Katara and Souq Waqif are three of their favourite landmarks to spend the weekend,” she stressed. “Obviously all these places are very interesting for new residents and foreign visitors.”
WTD staff are expecting an influx of visitors starting today and the rest of the weekend.
Apart from the instant prizes given to participants, they said the winner of the contest will receive a grand prize from QTA.
Other locations where the photo frames are installed include Aspire Zone, Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum and the Imam Mohamed ibn Abd Al Wahhab (Grand) Mosque. The contest will conclude tomorrow.

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