Visit forms part of efforts to diversify country’s tourism offerings and source markets
In a bid to boost Qatar’s tourism relations with Oman, a delegation of senior representatives from Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) headed to the Sultanate earlier this week to meet with their counterparts there. The visit brought into action a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries and comes as part of Qatar’s efforts to diversify its visitor source markets in the region.
The delegation was led by Hassan Al Ibrahim, Chief Tourism Development Officer and included Nasser Al Maslamani, Director of Planning Quality, Omar AlJaber, Director of Shared Services and Ahmed Al Obaidly, Director of Exhibitions, among others.
During their stay, the delegates met with the Her Excellency Maitha Bint Saif Al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary at the Ministry of Tourism of Oman and visited Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran), the Oman Convention Bureau as well as the Oman Exhibition and Convention Center. The three-day visit wrapped up with a roadshow where QTA’s private sector partners will showcase the country’s latest offerings to Omani tour operators.
The Omani delegation shed light on the Omani Tourism Strategy 2040 and its components that promote the Sultanate’s authentic Omani identity and cultural aspects. Similarly, the visit allowed the QTA delegation to share insights regarding its work towards launching the Next Chapter of the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS) 2030 which charts a pathway for developing a thriving hospitality and tourism sector in Qatar.
According to Hassan Al Ibrahim, the strategy’s main pillar is diversification of products, services and source markets to guarantee the tourism sector’s sustainability and its continued growth in spite of changes.
Hassan Al Ibrahim added that Qatar and Oman enjoy a long history of collaboration, and the activation of the MoU is testament to the ongoing commitment of both countries to energise their respective tourism industry, as each embark on journeys to 2030 and 2040, respectively.
In 2015, QTA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Omani Ministry of Tourism enabling the two countries to establish a framework for more joint projects that have the potential to create a tangible impact on tourism in both countries. Through the agreement, Oman and Qatar have been able to build on existing successful collaborations such as the joint Oman-Qatar tourist visa and their participation in the Cruise Arabia Alliance.
For more information, visit the QTA website at visitqatar.qa.
