Qatar Museums (QM) has announced new details of their expanded Culture Pass programme, introducing Culture Pass Plus and Culture Pass Family tiers, which will give added benefits to members through access to some of Qatar’s most iconic buildings and culture sites, as well as exciting creative programming.
The Culture Pass initiative was designed to create opportunities for those who live in and visit Qatar to experience the best of the country’s art, heritage and culture. The benefits are "expertly curated in order to offer exciting, sometimes exclusive, access to some of the world’s best cultural experiences, masterpiece collections and one-of-a-kind experiences", QM has said in a statement. 
The additions reflect a maturation of QM’s operating model, with the new tiers of membership providing enhanced value and recognition to members paying a modest annual subscription. As part of this evolution, QM will also be making changes to the ticketing system for its venues. 
Starting March 28, tourists and visitors will purchase tickets on location at Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), Mathaf and the new National Museum of Qatar. Residents of Qatar (with residency card), Culture Pass Plus and Family members and children under 16 years will enter the museums for free under the new ticketing system. 
Qatar Museums acting CEO Ahmad al-Namla said, “Our Culture Pass programme has proven to be an enormous success in the five years since we first launched it. Building on the progress to date in building engagement and awareness among the local community, these latest enhancements and new tiers mark a critical stage in the evolution of the programme and will help support our ambition to engage ever increasing numbers of audiences locally, regionally and internationally.”
Sheikha Nouf Mubarak Saif al-Thani, head of Partnerships at QM, added: “We are thrilled to announce new tiers to our Culture Pass programme, helping showcase the best our country has to offer. The programme is a testament to our ongoing commitment to enhancing and enriching the lives of those who live in and visit the country under the guidance of our Chairperson, HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.”
The new Culture Pass Plus tier, with an annual subscription of just QR200, will offer free unlimited access to museums, as well as discounts at many restaurants, cafes and on community classes in Qatar. 
Culture Pass Plus members will also be entitled to receive higher discounts (15%off) at QM gift shops, IN-Q online and Cass Art Qatar, with more benefits and discounts for partner organisations to be announced in the coming months. Members who sign up for Culture Pass Plus will retain free admission to QM venues and will be able to opt-in to skip the line during busy periods for popular exhibitions. Culture Pass Plus members will also have access to five free tours, and five free workshops, and will also be given one free guest pass for each member. 
To give families greater access to the wide programme of events offered by QM, the Culture Pass Family tier will also be introduced. This will offer the same benefits to families with up to six members (two adults and four children up to 16 years old) at QR350, making unique cultural experiences for the whole family more easily accessible.
Culture Pass Plus and Culture Pass Family can be purchased at the MIA gift shop starting March 3. For a limited period of time, existing Culture Pass members will have the opportunity to receive a QR100 discount if upgrading from their existing Culture Pass membership to Culture Pass Plus and Culture Pass Family before April 3.
The original free Culture Pass membership, which is "hugely popular" with more than 19,000 members, will remain available for residents and visitors as an ongoing Culture Pass Basic level, offering a number of core benefits. These include one free tour and workshop per year and discounts in a select number of Qatar Museums restaurants and cafes. 
Full details of the programme are available at CulturePass.qa. 
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