Qatar’s tourism sector is expected to get a further boost once all the Doha Metro lines are fully operational, giving visitors easy, safe, and cheaper access to a number of tourist destinations in the country.

“This is good for us, many of the tourist locations (in Qatar) are linked with the Doha Metro,” Qatar National Tourism Council’s (QNTC) chief marketing officer Rashed al-Qurese had observed on the sidelines of a recently-held media roundtable.

“Qatar Rail has done an amazing job with the launch (of the metro) and obviously, it is a key project in the country and we will definitely look into more integration,” he said.

The initial launch of Doha Metro’s Red Line South on May 8 received an excellent response from the public, taking commuters to 13 out of its 18 stations.

It is learnt that more Metrolink feeder buses by Mowasalat will also be deployed soon, including a route going to Souq Al Wakrah, one of the popular tourist and family destinations in the country.

Part of the Red Line is a station at Katara – the Cultural Village, where an array of local, regional and international events and exhibitions take place.

The line also has Qatar University; and Lusail City, which hosts a number of tourist attractions such as theme parks, water taxis and a wide range of food options.

Lusail, dubbed as the largest single sustainable development to be undertaken in Qatar, also has the Lusail Stadium, where the opening and closing games of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held.

Metro passengers can use their travel cards at Lusail’s tram network, which consists of four lines and 25 stations above ground and underground.

Meanwhile, the colourful floral and umbrella arch at the Corniche station, which connects Doha Corniche and Qatar Post Office, has been attracting a large number of commuters since the soft launch of the Red Line.

The newly-opened National Museum of Qatar and tourist-favourite Souq Waqif, as well as Aspire Zone (at Sport City station), are also expected to receive an influx of visitors once Doha Metro’s Gold Line opens.

Many residents are anticipating the launch of the Green Line, which runs from Msheireb to Al Riffa station, which is connected to the Mall of Qatar. In between, passengers can visit the Qatar National Library, Education City, as well as the Qatar National Convention Centre.

“We have been talking with Qatar Rail for two years now, and we will look into keeping them informed of the mega events that are coming to Qatar so they can reschedule or put more services wherever is needed,” al-Qurese said, adding that they also discussed other topics such as information dissemination.

“Our role is to plan, put strategies and get stakeholders on board into understanding what our vision is, and then everybody can implement that vision through the projects.”

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