Doha: A strategic memorandum of understanding with TT-Travel LLC (FUN&SUN), one of the leading tour operators in the Russian and CIS markets, on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market 2026 in Dubai, UAE, which continues until 17 September.
Qatar Tourism confirmed in a statement today that, under this partnership, a dedicated charter flight program will be launched, connecting several airports in Russia directly to Hamad International Airport starting next October.
The statement added that the cooperation between Visit Qatar and FUN&SUN includes the implementation of a program dedicated to charter flights, aimed at enhancing direct air connectivity between Russia and the State of Qatar, and supporting the growth of leisure travelers coming from Russia. The program is expected to attract more than 22,000 Russian tourists to Qatar during the winter season of 2026-2027, through direct flights from two Russian cities, namely Moscow and Yekaterinburg.
In Addition, this partnership will support efforts to develop and promote comprehensive holiday packages, combining direct flights, hotel and beach resort accommodations, as well as sightseeing tours and diverse cultural experiences, which will provide travelers from Russia with broader options and greater flexibility when planning their winter holidays in Qatar, while highlighting what Qatar offers in terms of luxury hospitality experiences, family entertainment activities, prominent cultural landmarks, and enchanting beach experiences.
Both parties will work on implementing a joint marketing campaign in major Russian cities with the aim of raising tourism awareness and increasing sales of travel packages.
The accompanying activities will include organizing virtual training seminars for tourism companies (B2B), providing incentive programs for travel agencies, in addition to organizing promotional trade tours, and launching joint digital advertising campaigns targeted at the public (B2C). These efforts will be supported by the extensive FUN&SUN network, which includes more than 600 partner travel agencies across Russia.
This strategic partnership comes in line with the Visit Qatar strategy, which aims to diversify international visitor markets, expand the direct air connectivity network, and increase Qatar's share in the luxury leisure tourism sector through Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. By combining the capabilities of charter aviation with coordinated destination marketing efforts and an extensive tourism distribution network, this collaboration will contribute to consolidating Qatar’s presence in the Russian market and supporting the continuous growth in the number of visitors throughout the 2026-2027 winter season.
