Qatar Tourism (QT) has launched a new stopover holiday campaign featuring David Beckham to support the country’s tourism goals and ambition to attract more than six million visitors a year by 2030.
The campaign reveals Beckham’s action-packed adventure around the country over the course of 48 hours, showing how Qatar offers visitors everything - from cultural hotspots to scenic landscapes, QT has said in a statement.
Led by passionate local personalities, Beckham is seen discovering the country as he explores the winding spice markets of Souq Waqif, soaks up local street art, cooks tacos infused with local flavours, camps in the desert, and sightsees around Doha by motorbike.
Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive HE Akbar al-Baker said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome David to Qatar, where he has immersed himself in the culture and experienced first-hand the warm hospitality of our people. I encourage the millions who transit through Qatar every year to follow in David’s footsteps and create their own exciting adventure and memories. We have something for everyone at incredible value, whether it’s sun, sea and sand, rich heritage and culture, surprising nature, or a modern and fun city break.”
Beckham said: “Qatar has surprised me with a wide range of great experiences you can have in just 48 hours. The people are warm and welcoming, and it is a great place to spend a few days.”
He added: “The people of Qatar are really passionate about their culture and the mix of modern and traditional creates something really special. I saw so much during my trip from spice markets to museums to enjoying a ride on my motorbike, which was one of the highlights.”
With more than 80% of the world’s population within a six-hour flight from Qatar, this campaign showcases how Qatar is an excellent place to turn a stopover into a mini break. Through this campaign, Qatar Tourism seeks to raise awareness of the world’s best value stopover packages, which are on offer from Qatar Airways. The campaign will see content across digital advertising, social media channels and Qatar Tourism’s website, in addition to being shared by selected partners. The campaign video will also be hosted on Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system, Oryx.
During his tour of Qatar, Beckham went on adventures with the following people:
* Chef Noor al-Mazroei, chef at Rosado Café, took Beckham on a tour of the spice market in Souq Waqif.
* Saad Ismail al-Jassim, one of Qatar’s last legendary pearl divers, gave Beckham a lesson on the country’s historic primary industry of pearling, before the discovery of oil and gas.
* Abdulaziz Yousef, a Qatari artist, showed Beckham around Souq Waqif’s Art Centre.
* Chef Aquiles Chaves, a visiting chef and television personality from Mexico, helped Beckham cook tacos fused with Qatari flavours.
* Sheikha Reem al-Thani, acting deputy CEO of Exhibitions and Marketing and the director of Centralised Exhibitions at Qatar Museums (QM), accompanied Beckham as he explored one of Qatar’s most iconic museums.
* Khalid & Majid, Qatari falcon trainers, greeted Beckham at a desert camp near Khor Al Adaid, also known as the Inland Sea.
* Saeed al-Sulaiti, Qatari motorcycle champion, rode with Beckham around The Pearl-Qatar, a man-made island with shops, hotels and colourful residential neighbourhoods.
* Hamida Issa al-Kuwari, a Qatari filmmaker, guided Beckham through Katara - the Cultural Village, Qatar’s go-to destination for art, food and culture.
* Khalid al-Hamadi, dhow and Qatari marine expert, accompanied Beckham aboard a traditional wooden dhow boat.
Led by passionate local personalities, Beckham is seen discovering the country as he explores the winding spice markets of Souq Waqif, soaks up local street art, cooks tacos infused with local flavours, camps in the desert, and sightsees around Doha by motorbike.
Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive HE Akbar al-Baker said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome David to Qatar, where he has immersed himself in the culture and experienced first-hand the warm hospitality of our people. I encourage the millions who transit through Qatar every year to follow in David’s footsteps and create their own exciting adventure and memories. We have something for everyone at incredible value, whether it’s sun, sea and sand, rich heritage and culture, surprising nature, or a modern and fun city break.”
Beckham said: “Qatar has surprised me with a wide range of great experiences you can have in just 48 hours. The people are warm and welcoming, and it is a great place to spend a few days.”
He added: “The people of Qatar are really passionate about their culture and the mix of modern and traditional creates something really special. I saw so much during my trip from spice markets to museums to enjoying a ride on my motorbike, which was one of the highlights.”
With more than 80% of the world’s population within a six-hour flight from Qatar, this campaign showcases how Qatar is an excellent place to turn a stopover into a mini break. Through this campaign, Qatar Tourism seeks to raise awareness of the world’s best value stopover packages, which are on offer from Qatar Airways. The campaign will see content across digital advertising, social media channels and Qatar Tourism’s website, in addition to being shared by selected partners. The campaign video will also be hosted on Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system, Oryx.
During his tour of Qatar, Beckham went on adventures with the following people:
* Chef Noor al-Mazroei, chef at Rosado Café, took Beckham on a tour of the spice market in Souq Waqif.
* Saad Ismail al-Jassim, one of Qatar’s last legendary pearl divers, gave Beckham a lesson on the country’s historic primary industry of pearling, before the discovery of oil and gas.
* Abdulaziz Yousef, a Qatari artist, showed Beckham around Souq Waqif’s Art Centre.
* Chef Aquiles Chaves, a visiting chef and television personality from Mexico, helped Beckham cook tacos fused with Qatari flavours.
* Sheikha Reem al-Thani, acting deputy CEO of Exhibitions and Marketing and the director of Centralised Exhibitions at Qatar Museums (QM), accompanied Beckham as he explored one of Qatar’s most iconic museums.
* Khalid & Majid, Qatari falcon trainers, greeted Beckham at a desert camp near Khor Al Adaid, also known as the Inland Sea.
* Saeed al-Sulaiti, Qatari motorcycle champion, rode with Beckham around The Pearl-Qatar, a man-made island with shops, hotels and colourful residential neighbourhoods.
* Hamida Issa al-Kuwari, a Qatari filmmaker, guided Beckham through Katara - the Cultural Village, Qatar’s go-to destination for art, food and culture.
* Khalid al-Hamadi, dhow and Qatari marine expert, accompanied Beckham aboard a traditional wooden dhow boat.