Millions of passengers experience Summer in Qatar at HIA terminal

The state-of-the-art airport wraps up fantastic programme that immersed passengers in Qatar’s hospitality and culture all summer long

Hamad International Airport’s (HIA) ‘Summer in Qatar (SiQ)’ programme engaged more than 7mn passengers from July to August in its award-winning terminal, it was announced on Sunday. During the summer peak season, the world-class airport focused its efforts on making travel as dynamic, interactive and entertaining as possible ? having partnered with Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free (QDF) to deliver the biggest SiQ programme yet.

Commenting on the success of HIA’s ‘Summer in Qatar’, engineer Badr Mohamed al-Meer, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport, stated: “We are extremely proud of the efforts and success witnessed during our SiQ programme. The result of our collaboration with QNTC, Qatar Airways and QDF, and the lively entertainment truly highlights our shared commitment to promoting Qatar as a destination of choice and making its hospitable culture shine.

Some of the activations under the umbrella of the biggest SiQ campaign at HIA featured a heritage zone, which immersed passengers from all over the world through more than 260 hours of cultural and traditional performances. The performances included a ‘Traditional Costume Op,’ which allowed travellers to try on traditional Qatari costumes, with these cherished memories captured on Polaroid photos given to the passengers.

The heritage zone also included Qatari traditional dance performances (Fraisa) and a calligraphy artist who wrote passengers’ names in traditional Arabic calligraphy and gifted them to the passengers. Other handicraft activities under the heritage zone included a Henna body art activation and a netmaker, attracting a large number of visitors. Travellers also enjoyed Qatari hospitality by visiting the Gahwa (Arabic coffee) and dates section.

Another popular activation area during the SiQ festival was the kids’ zone, providing children of all ages with a variety of games such as a giant Lego experience and a painting wall where they were able to play while waiting for their flights. The kids’ zone also marked the Eid period by distributing Eid greeting cards and spreading the joyful atmosphere of the holidays.

Featuring some edutainment features, the kids’ zone held a nutrition activation, which gave away healthy snacks to children. Back-to-school activities were yet another activity that helped engage children and prepare them for the spirits of the upcoming school season. HIA also held 98 hours of diverse performance arts roaming in the terminal. Passengers of all ages laughed, danced and took selfies with the parading actors.