Qatar’s tourism industry offers investors a wide range of possibilities

Doha: During the recently concluded Qatar Travel Mart 2021 that focused on the country’s growing tourism sector, tourism experts said the sector offers a wealth of opportunities for travellers and investors alike.

“Qatar is a country which is waiting to be discovered and we have got all the ingredients to deliver to people and bring them to Qatar. We have beautiful landscapes, beach resorts, amazing culture with outstanding museums and some amazing and inspiring public spaces as well, including the world’s best airline and airport,” said Qatar Senior Global Marketing Executive of Qatar Tourism, Brett Stephenson.

“As Qatar Tourism we are very focused and clear. Qatar is a welcoming accessible destination as it is rooted in its culture and has a richness of things to do,” he added. “We recently launched our first-ever truly global campaign, and we are showing people that Qatar is a world within itself. We are expecting by the end of the campaign to have 2 billion global views. It is transforming awareness about Qatar and the characters represent visitors and their passion points as they live their adventure in Qatar,” he said.

Chairman of the Forum Portugal Qatar Association, Nuno Anahory, a successful business consultant with extensive experience developing partnerships in Europe, Brazil, and Africa. He is a senior investment advisor to Qatari and GCC investors. He discussed ‘Promoting Tourism through Business Connections’.

The Forum Portugal Qatar was initiated in Portugal to provide Portuguese companies with connections to Qatar and ongoing development projects in the country. “Tourism is one of the main areas we are working in and we see a lot of opportunities in Qatar and we want to promote these opportunities and lead projects not only to Portugal but also to Portuguese communities,” he added. 

General Manager of Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort in Switzerland, Christian Sack, who managed the Ritz-Carlton in Doha before moving to Switzerland, addressed the topic ‘Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic’.

“Bürgenstock Resort was built in 1873 and has a very unique situation. This resort is managed and operated by Katara Hospitality and we will be celebrating our 150th birthday in two years’ time. It went through an extensive renovation which took about nine years and opened its doors in 2017 and is a resort of the highest order, a retreat with an amazing surrounding landscape and excellent views, 500 meters above Lake Lucerne,” he said.

“At the end of June this year the COVID-19 restrictions were eased, and we were able to welcome guests from the Middle East mainly from Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Also, the US market came back for us and the UK, Russia, Germany. We believe the Asian market in Switzerland will be back in the first half of next year,” he added.

“During the pandemic, we launched several new packages for the guests to enjoy the full Swiss experience. We also launched various signature dining series and we used the time during the pandemic to focus strongly on employee retention and spent a lot of time in training. All in all, we had a remarkable year where we broke so many records and celebrated many achievements. Our financial results have never been better and we offer now over 120 different activities to enjoy at the resort-like music, art, and cultural festivals for next year.”