QTA exhibitions director Hamad al-Abdan (left) and QTA’s public relations and communications director Faisal al-Mohannadi announced the unveiling of the Qatar Business Destination Brand recently.


By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter


Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) will unveil the Qatar Business Events today at the IBTM (Institute of Business Travel Management) World 2015 in Barcelona, Spain to promote the country as a leading business destination.
“By unifying the voices of the business events sector, this sub-brand will contribute to consolidating all promotional efforts and provide innovative impetus to a sector crucial to the growth of tourism in Qatar,” QTA’s chief marketing and promotions officer Rashed al-Qurese said.
He noted that the new tourism sub-brand highlights Qatar’s world-class facilities and attractions, which makes it a top choice for business meetings, events and exhibitions.
On November 2, QTA led the international unveiling of the Qatar Destination Brand at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London. The IBTM and WTM are two of the most attended tourism expos in the world held annually in the same countries.
“QTA has articulated a destination brand in line with the country’s persona, vision and actions,” al-Qurese stressed.
Since Qatar relies heavily on its hydrocarbon wealth, he noted that tourism plays a crucial role in diversifying the country’s economy – shielding it from fluctuating oil prices.
Business events had been prospering in the country, according to QTA exhibitions director Hamad al-Abdan, who was speaking at a press conference in Doha on Sunday.
He said they want to triple the number of business events taking place in Qatar by 2030, a move that is expected to contribute at least half of the country’s revenue from tourism spending.
“It is very fitting for this to be the first sub-brand we launch in line with the substantial number of visitors to Qatar being business tourists, attending a vast business spectrum of more than 150 events staged annually,” al-Abdan stressed.
He expressed confidence that business events tourism in the country will flourish due to various factors such as the growing event management services, exhibition capacity of 70,000 sq m, the presence of world-class venues such as Qatar National Convention Centre and the recently opened Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre.
The QTA official also cited Qatar’s expanded transport network and Qatar Airways’ reach to more than 150 destinations worldwide.
As part of their strategy, he said they will be supporting local companies and offer incentive schemes to attract more business visitors in the coming years.
Al-Abdan also reiterated the pivotal role of the private sector in achieving their objectives and goals.

Facts and figures on business events sector

Qatar’s leadership has designated tourism a priority sector as part of diversifying the country’s economy in pursuit of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is the government arm responsible for planning, regulating and promoting a sustainable tourism sector in Qatar. QTA’s role as the official custodian of the business events sector is to facilitate its development and growth.
QTA projects that the tourism sector’s total contribution to the country’s total economy will reach 5.1% by 2030, and up to 9.7% of Qatar’s non-hydro-carbon economy.
As of October 31, 2015, Qatar has achieved a 5% year-on-year increase in the number of visitor arrivals and it is on track to reach the milestone of 3mn visitors before the end of the year.
With more than 20,000 rooms, the country’s thriving hospitality sector has maintained a steady occupancy rate of 71% (YTD-30 September 2015).
Some 20 new hotel establishments opened in 2015, bringing the total number of 3-star, 4-star and 5-star hotels in the country to 87.
It is estimated that the sector currently provides close to 70,000 jobs in Qatar.
Qatar has witnessed a significant increase in activity in the business meetings and exhibitions sector. Between 2013 and 2015, growth in the number of exhibitions averaged 35%.