DOHA: More than 400,000 people visited the 11-day annual Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) which concluded on a high note yesterday, said organisers.
Held from March 15 to 25 at the Hotel Park, the ninth edition of the country’s longest-running food festival showcased the best the country has to offer in food and beverage bringing a rich mix of flavours, cultures and entertainment.
While the festival has drawn to a close, QIFF continues to offer exciting culinary experiences through the special QIFF Menu which will continue at participating restaurants and cafes until end of this month. The Menu allows residents and visitors to enjoy mouth-watering food groupings of at least three menu items at a pre-set price of either QR49 or QR99.
Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing & Promotion Officer at Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), said, “Festivals such as QIFF form part of our wider tourism strategy to grow and diversify the country’s tourism offerings, particularly in the area of family and urban entertainment.”
He added, “As QIFF continues to grow year on year, we are particularly pleased to see a similar growth in the private sector’s involvement in the country’s festivals. And, we look forward to continuing this trend as we take steady strides towards accomplishing the goals set in the Next Chapter of QNTSS 2030.”
Numerous partners representing the entertainment, hospitality and F&B sectors in Qatar supported this year’s QIFF including the festival’s strategic partner Katara Hospitality - Qatar-based global hotel owner, developer and operator.
Hamad Abdulla Al Mulla (pictured), Chief Executive Officer at Katara Hospitality, said: “Katara Hospitality is proud of its involvement in the 9th annual Qatar International Food Festival, which has, over the last 11 days, brought Qataris, residents and visitors alike together to celebrate and share excellent culinary experiences.
He added: “QIFF has given Katara Hospitality the opportunity to showcase the impeccable natural landscape of Hotel Park which demonstrates our commitment to social responsibility and sustainability. We would like to thank and congratulate QTA for all of its hard work, support, and dedication in promoting the festival and we look forward to more successful collaborations in the years to come.”
Among the crowd-pullers at the festival was the Cooking Theatre which saw more than 30 local, regional and international food celebrities run live demonstrations and share their best cooking tips and tricks.
The line-up included Austrian-born Wolfgang Puck, US’s Christine Ha, Japan’s Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Kuwait’s Sulaiman Al Qassar, Fawaz Al Omaim and Asma AlBahar, the Philippines’ Luis Rey ‘Niño’ Logarta, Lebanon’s Chef Ramzi, Turkey’s Murat Bozok and Qatar’s Aisha Al-Tamimi.
Hollywood’s favourite chef, Wolfgang Puck said, “Qatar is a big destination in the Middle East today and people come from all over the world because Qatar Airways flies everywhere. It is truly an international food city with great food where you can get street food or go to a nice restaurant.”
Canada’s baking sweetheart, Anna Olson said, “I think a visit to Doha is just so easy. It’s on the way to so many places but also a destination in itself. As a Canadian, we love travel and adventure and we also love going to that next new place and I think we are going to start hearing more adventurous stories of people’s visit to Doha.”
QIFF’s support for the local community extended beyond providing a platform for budding entrepreneurs to showcase their F&B products. Early on in the month, QIFF organisers partnered with Msheireb Museums to deliver a healthy food and nutrition awareness programme for 700 students from 14 schools, including Shafallah.
Throughout the festival, two booths were designated for the Social Development Centre (Nama), where home-based businesses showcased their wares. And in collaboration with Tarsheed, the festival grounds dimmed their lights for a minute on March 24 to join in the international Earth Hour movement.
