Doha: Visit Qatar has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening international tourism partnerships as the Sanya Tourism Board showcased the Chinese coastal destination's attractions and investment opportunities during a promotional event in Doha yesterday.
The event brought together senior representatives of Visit Qatar, Chinese tourism officials and industry stakeholders to explore opportunities for greater tourism exchange and cooperation between Qatar, China and the wider Gulf region.
In his remarks at the event, Visit Qatar Regional PR Lead Saud Alhamdan highlighted growing opportunities for engagement between the tourism sectors of both countries.
Alhamdan's participation underscored Visit Qatar's role in facilitating dialogue with international tourism partners and supporting initiatives aimed at strengthening cross-border tourism connections.
Also representing Visit Qatar was Senior Manager of International Markets – Asia Pacific Sabrina Ding, whose participation highlighted the importance of the Asia-Pacific market in international tourism engagement.
The presence of Alhamdan and Ding provided an opportunity for engagement with the visiting Chinese delegation on potential areas of collaboration, including destination promotion and tourism industry partnerships.
The Chinese delegation included Vice Director General of the Sanya Tourism Board Zhang Hao, Director of Sanya Tourism Board Shi Lei, and other senior tourism and investment officials.
The programme showcased Sanya's tropical coastline, luxury resorts, cultural heritage and wellness experiences, positioning the destination as an attractive option for travellers from Qatar and the Gulf.
A major highlight was the Shanhai Wellness initiative, which combines coastal tourism with traditional Chinese medicine, wellness experiences and Hainan's intangible cultural heritage.
The event also featured an investment presentation by the Sanya Investment Promotion Bureau, outlining business opportunities under the Hainan Free Trade Port framework.
Potential areas of cooperation included resort development, wellness tourism, duty-free retail, cross-border finance, deep-sea technology and blue carbon initiatives.
Officials introduced several investment districts, including Sanya's Central Business District, Yazhou Bay Sci-Tec City, Jingu Industrial Park and Haitang Bay National Coast Leisure Park.
The bureau also outlined support mechanisms for prospective investors, including business registration assistance, investment guidance and connections with relevant industrial districts.
Proposed follow-up initiatives include sector-specific discussions, familiarisation visits to Sanya and exploration of potential agreements and pilot projects.
The Doha gathering formed part of Sanya's broader international promotional strategy to strengthen its presence in the Middle East.
The initiative is expected to encourage continued engagement between tourism stakeholders, travel companies and potential investors in Qatar and China, while opening new avenues for long-term cooperation.
