The World Tourism Day (WTD) celebrations to be hosted by Qatar on September 27 will feature a Forum which will gather officials and representatives from tourism authorities and ministries around the world to explore tourism’s role in sustainable development.
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) officials have said that preparations are under way to host the official WTD celebrations which will be held under the patronage of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, who will officiate the Forum’s opening ceremony.
A number of senior Qatari officials have been confirmed to speak at the full-day event to be held at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel. Qatari panelists include, Qatar’s Minister of Municipality and Environment H E Mohamed bin Abdulaah Al-Rumaihi; Minister of Culture and Sports H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali; Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive; Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy; and Abdulla Al Mehshadi, CEO of Msheireb Real Estate.
WTD is the official day set aside in the United Nations’ calendar to highlight tourism’s contribution to some of the most pressing challenges society is faced with today. Qatar won the rights to host the official WTD celebrations by a vote of the 21st UNWTO General Assembly, held in Colombia in 2015. This year, the celebrations will be held under the theme ‘Sustainable Tourism – A Tool for Development’.
“Upon the UNWTO General Assembly’s decision, the official celebrations of WTD on 27 September will take place in Qatar this year. We very much look forward to this important event, which this year gains particular relevance as we celebrate the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. Qatar’s commitment to developing its tourism sector is clear, as proven by its recent decision to grant visa-free entry to visitors from 80 countries,” said Taleb Al Rifai, Secretary General of the UNWTO.
The WTD Forum will also witness the launch of the Next Chapter of Qatar’s National Tourism Sector Strategy, which outlines a five-year plan aimed at diversifying visitor source markets, as well as tourism products and services.
Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer at QTA, said “We are very pleased to have such strong Qatari representation among the international line up of speakers at WTD this year. The Qatari officials speaking at WTD Forum are all intricately involved in the country’s pursuit of environmental, societal and economic sustainability; the variety of fields they represent demonstrates how the creation of an authentic tourism experience cuts across so many sectors, both public and private.”
He added, “WTD presents a unique opportunity to gather industry partners from around the world to celebrate the tourism sector’s contribution to long term development, and seek out ways to capitalise on the potential of ongoing tourism projects to achieve sustainability for our nations.” WTD will also feature a public celebration that will involve the residents and citizens of Qatar. On the following day, the visiting dignitaries and international tourism industry officials and professionals will visit various landmarks around Qatar that showcase the country’s culture, heritage, nature and sports tourism assets.
