NeXTfairs for Exhibitions & Conferences announced that Qatar Travel Mart Conference has attracted over 75 local and international companies covering various sectors – including airline companies, hotels and resorts, tour operators, DMC, cruise lines, transportation and travel technology companies.
QTM 2021 will be held from 16 to 18 November at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, in partnership with Qatar Tourism (strategic partner), Discover Qatar and Qatar Airways Holidays (leisure partners).
SEE ALSO: Qatar Travel Mart 2021
According to NeXTfairs co-founder and general manager Rawad Sleem, the event will provide insights and new perspectives to the future of tourism, while also offering sought-after trends on travel destinations, real estate development projects and up-to-date luxury, business, medical, sports, MICE, halal tourism, leisure and cultural tourism.
The event is expected to attract wide international participation, as countries such as Italy, Cyprus, the Maldives, Azerbaijan, Rwanda, the Dominican Republic, among others, seek to enhance their presence in the Qatari market.
Sleem explained that the participation of local and international companies reflects confidence in the Qatari market and confirms the start of the recovery phase of tourism and hospitality from the repercussions of Coronavirus, especially as Qatar’s global tourism attractiveness is now higher than ever as the World Cup 2022 countdown draws closer.
Only fully vaccinated people will be allowed in the exhibition, whether staff members or visitors. All precautionary measures will be in place to ensure the health and safety of participants, exhibitors and visitors during the event.
Travel and tourism in Qatar
The latest data issued by the World Travel and Tourism Council indicated that the contribution of the travel and tourism sector to Qatar’s GDP in 2019, before the outbreak of the pandemic, amounted to QAR63.6 billion or 9.1%. The tourism industry and related services represent 11.8% of the total workforce in Qatar. International visitor spending on travel and tourism amounted to about QAR48.4 billion in 2019.
Sleem stressed that tourism is a priority sector fundamental to economic diversification, set as a key objective in Qatar National Vision 2030. The sector has witnessed great development in terms of regulations and legislation that has promoted Qatar’s openness in tourism, giving the local market the opportunity to attract the most prominent hotel brands from around the world. Furthermore, Qatar also tops the list of investment destinations in terms of returns on tourism and hotel investments in the Middle East.
The new governing body Qatar Tourism has now replaced the former Qatar National Tourism Council, proof of Qatar’s intent to develop further the country’s tourism and travel sector. The change also enhances the integration between the national tourism strategy and the hospitality sector, to help achieve the goal of attracting 5.6 million visitors to Qatar annually by 2023, raise the contribution of leisure tourism and sustain the occupancy rate in hotels at 72%.
For updates and more information about QTM 2021, visit qtmqatar.com.
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