In a bid to strengthen and grow its presence and appeal in the Chinese market, Qatar made its debut trade show appearance in China at the 14th China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market (COTTM) in Beijing this week, from 16 to 18 April.

QTA at COTTM
HE Sultan Bin Salmeen Al Mansouri (right) and Hassan Al Ibrahim

Qatar’s delegation to the industry’s most prominent trade event in China is led by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and consists of representatives from 12 hospitality partners and tour operators in the country. Qatar’s pavilion at COTTM was opened on Monday, 16 April, and visited by Qatar Ambassador to China, HE Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri.

Hassan Al Ibrahim, Acting Chairman of QTA said that their first appearance at COTTM follows a series of significant steps taken to offer Qatar’s renowned hospitality to Chinese travellers. He added that their efforts are being matched in Qatar as they work closely with local tourism and hospitality sector to welcome Chinese guests and tour groups.

Qatar gained Approved Destination Status (ADS) in September 2017, allowing for the country to promote Qatar as a tourism destination in China. QTA has since opened representative offices in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer at QTA said that this year’s COTTM serve as a launchpad for a number of online initiatives that will complement the on-ground efforts of Qatar representative offices in China. He said that the online initiatives have been carefully tailored to suit the needs of Chinese visitors, providing them the tools they need to plan future visits to Qatar, whether for business or leisure.

QTA at COTTM

The web-based promotional activities include the launch of the destination e-learning tool, Tawash in Mandarin to allow Chinese travel agents become certified Qatar destination Experts. The Qatar destination is also going live on Sina Weibo and WeChat where Chinese netizens and industry partners can easily follow the destination’s updates and gain access to important travel planning information.

Thanks to Qatar’s recent visa policy changes, Chinese citizens can now enter Qatar visa free. The visa waiver is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance and entitles holder to spend up to 30 days in Qatar, during either a single trip or on multiple trips. In addition, the  five-star national carrier, Qatar Airways has 31 weekly direct flights connecting Doha to several destinations in China.

The first quarter of 2018 saw a 27% increase in Chinese visitor arrivals compared to the same period last year. China is Qatar’s fastest growing source market. Chinese travellers interested in visiting Qatar can easily access information about the destination’s tourism offerings, including accommodation, activities, and key events, on visitqatar.qa, which is available in Mandarin.

Check out this link for more information and updates about QTA.