Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) considers business events as one of the key sectors of growth in Qatar’s tourism industry and it is expected to attract 5.6 million visitors by 2023. With more than 150 business events taking place in Qatar annually, it’s evident that Qatar has all the right ingredients it needs to become a leader in the exhibitions field.
It’s very important to stay up to date, especially with integrating international expertise with local talents. So Qatar participating at the IMEX Frankfurt and attracting interests is a major step towards the realisation of Qatar’s true potential as a business events destination. In addition to showcasing the country’s full range of hotels, state-of-the-art venues, tour operators and event management companies, the delegation is strengthening ties with industry stakeholders and promoting Qatar as an attractive business events destination in the region. Last year, the Qatar delegation held 89 meetings at IMEX and is looking to boost that figure this year.
Since Qatar’s last participation in IMEX, the country has made several progress in this direction. It introduced visa policy changes which have made Qatar easier to visit and the most open country in the GCC region. It also saw the launch of the Next Chapter of its National Tourism Sector Strategy which charts a pathway to more diverse tourism products and an enhanced visitor experience. The strategy prioritises business events as a major contributor to visitor arrivals.
QTA is organising various programmes to empower local professionals with the tools they need to adapt and respond to the fast-changing environment in which they work. As part of QTA’s efforts to augment its skills in business events, it sent twenty-five professionals from the sector recently to attend an international exhibition development training programme hosted by QTA in partnership with UK-based MBB-Media Ltd. And, as part of its commitment to further strengthen ties in the international association meetings industry, QTA recently partnered with ICCA (International Congress and Convention Association) to become a globally-recognised Association Relations Partner (ARP).
“Our focus at IMEX Frankfurt this year is to create new ties with the MICE industry, and build on existing ones,” commented Ahmed Al Obaidli, Director of Exhibitions at QTA. “Since the launch of the Next Chapter in September of last year, the sector has taken steady steps to grow and accelerate the development of its offerings across the leisure and business tourism spectrum, giving international business visitors ample opportunity to enjoy authentic tourism experiences, both inside and beyond the venue walls.”
QTA launched the Qatar brand as a destination for business activities two years ago, in order to attract international exhibitions and conferences to Qatar, which contributed to the increase in the number of business activities organised or licensed by QTA in Qatar to reach 30 percent in 2017 from 2015. The increase was despite the exceptional circumstances experienced after the unjust siege imposed on Qatar by some countries without any reasons.