Qatar’s stature is growing fast as a top tourist destination among international travellers. Country’s hospitality sector continues to win accolades as it has been ranked best in the Middle East for a second consecutive year, by the Guest Experience in the Middle East Report, released by hospitality and travel data providers Olery.
The report analysed over 12 million online guest reviews over the past 12 months ( April 1, 2018 – March 3, 2019) from popular online booking sites. Qatar’s score increased from 84.3 last year to 85.4. The development of new attractions, such as the recently opened Qatar National Museum, was credited with helping maintain the hospitality sector’s momentum.
The report measures overall guest satisfaction by considering different aspects of their tourist accommodation experience, including service, location, cleanliness, room quality, and value for money. In Qatar, service, cleanliness and location received ratings of 9.0, above the global benchmark in each of these categories.
Recently Doha was picked by The New York Times in their ‘52 Places to Go in 2019’ list. Doha also made into Forbes’ top 15 places to visit in 2019.
Last year was a turning point for Qatar’s tourism sector. One of the major developments of 2018 was establishment of Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC). The council made significant efforts in diversifying visitor source markets and promoting Qatar as an attractive tourism destination. In 2018, six representative offices were opened in three of the world’s largest visitor source markets - China, India and Russia.
In November 2018, QNTC launched Qatar’s first global destination campaign. Under the tagline ‘Qatar. Qurated for you.’, the campaign brings to life Qatar’s focus on tailored visitor experiences that celebrate its heritage, and is being rolled out in eight languages across 15 existing and targeted priority markets targeting 250 million travellers around the world.
In line with the Next Chapter’s focus on developing and boosting the sector’s professional skills and competitiveness, QNTC partnered with the Union of International Fairs (UFI) to deliver an event management training programme which resulted in the certification of 20 professionals in the business events sector.
In addition, QNTC launched its tour guide training programme which resulted in 137 tour guides who speak 20 different languages being officially licensed.
The Olery report and the guests who have stayed in Qatar’s hotels articulated the main selling points as attentive service, top notch facilities, and authentic experiences. The report confirms that Qatar’s hospitality sector is best in class, and a model for the industry and the region.
