DOHA: Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) will lead a delegation from Qatar Airways and 11 hotels on a three-city road show in Saudi Arabia from today.
The road show follows the opening of QTA representative offices in Jeddah and Riyadh last year and forms part of a strategy to enhance promotional efforts in key target markets in the GCC.
In Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, QTA and partners will update over 120 Saudi-based travel agents and tour operators on tourism opportunities in Qatar and plans for the 2015 Qatar Summer Festival launched during Arabian Travel Market in Dubai earlier this month.
“The number of visitors from Saudi Arabia to Qatar increased by 28 percent in the first quarter of 2015 to over 240,000. Qatar is not standing still. Luxury hotel construction continues, transport infrastructure grows and bold new developments continue to be planned,” said Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing and Promotions Officer, QTA.
“We will continue with new promotional initiatives in the region and QTA, with partner participants at the road show, will provide agents with insight into an excellent cross-section of Qatar’s hospitality offerings, focusing on the five-star, four-star and boutique hotel sectors and hotel apartments.
“Family-orientated tourism from the region remains prominent and we will always ensure that there is a focus on activities to meet the needs of this important target market,” he added.
He said the festival throughout August will include entertainment and cultural activities to attract an increasing number of tourists from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf.
QTA will also recognise travel agents who have completed its online destination training programme, Tawash, which offers agents and other tourism professionals opportunity to register and start the process of becoming accredited tourism experts on Qatar by giving extensive online training information to enhance their knowledge on Qatar as a destination and better understand the offerings.
The programme, which has qualified over 600 tourism professionals internationally, aims to develop an international team of ‘tourism ambassadors’ for Qatar, in their home markets.
The Qatari delegation will be led by Hamad Al Abdan, Director of Exhibitions, QTA.
The Peninsula
