Participants during the Qatar Travel Mart 2021.
Doha: The inaugural Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) 2021 has concluded with spectacular results leading to the launch of the second edition in 2022.
More than 6,300 visitors attended QTM 2021, which was organised by NeXTfairs for Exhibitions and Conferences under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani and inaugurated by the Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H E Akbar Al Baker.
The three-day event was also honoured to have the presence of the Minister of Municipality H E Abdullah bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie and the Managing Director of Qetaifan Projects Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Al Baker said: “As one of the driving forces behind Qatar’s expansion and progress in recent years, Qatar Airways Group is delighted to support the Qatar Travel Mart 2021 as an excellent opportunity to unite the local travel and leisure sector and showcase our nation’s unique cultural heritage and vision for the future of Qatar as a tourism destination”.
Acting Chief Executive Officer of Katara Hospitality Andrew Humphries said: “Our participation at Qatar Travel Mart 2021 presented yet another opportunity for Katara Hospitality to showcase its diverse portfolio of iconic hospitality gems located in key global travel markets. Tourism is a vital pillar of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and we, at Katara Hospitality have long understood its importance in our quest for excellence within the sector".
Co-Founder and General Manager of NeXTfairs for Exhibitions and Conferences Rawad Sleem explained: “The facts and figures speak for themselves. With visitors’ numbers topping 6,300 and 860 B2B meetings generating major deals with DMCs and tour operators, reaching millions, we are delighted with the huge success of the first QTM. So much so that we are now announcing a second edition due to this great achievement for 2022".
President & CEO of the World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage Nigel Fell commented: “QTM 2021 was a world class event that will help re-shape how tourism leaders and industry stakeholders gather to do business post COVID-19, and has set new standards in exploring visitor economy growth but in ways that ensure we better protect our environment, cultural heritage assets and the fabric of the worlds’ local communities".
Cluster General Manager at JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Rick Enders added: “QTM was a wonderful platform for us to interact with industry colleagues, experts and consumers and to showcase our capabilities as a cluster organisation. I was honoured to be part of the panel discussion about the industry and am humbled with the opportunity to contribute".
Chief Executive Officer of Azerbaijan Tourism Board Florian Sengstschmid said: “QTM proved to be a great initiative in bringing together key stakeholders of the tourism industry. We are certainly looking forward to coming back here next year”.
General Manager at Amadeus Qatar Wafiq Al Wahidi added: “It gives us great pleasure to be the technology partner of QTM 2021, which has stimulated the tourism sector in the country after the global COVID-19 crisis. We commend the organisers, and it is clear that the success of this exhibition is only the result of the keenness of state officials to encourage the tourism sector".
QTM 2021 hosted a three-day media familiarisation trip for international media, which showcased the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 stadiums and many of Qatar’s famous cultural sites. The international media partners came from as far as India, Malaysia, UK, China, Dubai, Canada and Russia.
