Katara-the Cultural Village Foundation general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti on Tuesday launched the Al Wasmi Garden Festival at the South Katara Hills in the presence of HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Subaie, Qatar Airways Group chief executive and Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) Secretary-General HE Akbar al-Baker, Ooredoo Group CEO Sheikh Saud bin Nasser al-Thani and ambassadors.

On the first day itself, the festival witnessed a huge crowd comprising people of different nationalities, Katara said in a statement. In this context, Dr al-Sulaiti said: "The huge number of visitors on the first day of the festival confirms the success of Katara in selecting its events."

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He noted the goal of the festival is to raise awareness among people about the importance of the environment and gardening. He also explained that the festival presents cultural, entertainment and artistic activities and visitors will have the opportunity to discover the exquisite designs of different types of gardens.

Further, Dr al-Sulaiti stressed that Katara is the "first tourism destination in Qatar, a valley of cultures and an international forum to enhance human rapproachment and promote cultural exchange".

On the occasion, HE al-Baker said: “We are delighted to support the Al Wasmi Garden Festival. It is a fantastic new initiative for Qatar that will delight residents and visitors alike, and is a great addition to our country’s excellent calendar of events. I hope visitors to the festival will especially enjoy the French Garden by Qatar Airways, inspired by the palace gardens of France.”

Dr al-Sulaiti invited all families to "visit the wonderful gardens and enjoy the spectacular atmosphere", and also expressed his gratitude to the sponsors, namely QNTC (official sponsor), Qatar Airways (official sponsor), Ooredoo (silver sponsor) and Qommunication (silver sponsor).

The festival continues until February 22.