Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) recently opened its representative office in Mumbai, with a focus on tapping India’s growing outbound tourism market. Mumbai is the 11th global office of QTA. Speaking at the very first press conference, Hassan Al Ibrahim, acting chairman, QTA, said, “In September last we had launched a new strategy to double tourism. We are focused on growing tourism and India is a critical source market for us.” Pointing out that there are 174 weekly flights between Doha and 13 Indian cities – 100 by Qatar Airways and 74 flights from Indian airlines, Ibrahim mentioned there has been 15 per cent growth from the India market. “We wanted to come to India with a holistic approach. We did not do any heavy consumer drive initiatives till now,” he added.
QTA is looking at delivering unique experiences to Indian visitors, along with stronger engagement with the media and the travel trade. No visa is needed to visit Qatar for 80 nationalities, including Indian passport holders. This makes Qatar the most open country in the region. The key themes include culture and heritage; Museum of Islamic Art; nature; and family entertainment. The Pearl of Qatar is a modern shopping and dining destination, with luxury residences and hotels. The festivals that would be of much interest to Indian travellers are – Qatar International Food festival and Qatar Summer Festival. Among the natural wonders in Qatar is the breathtaking scenery of Khor Al Adaid, which is the inland sea about 60 km from the capital Doha. “We are concentrating on providing experiences not available elsewhere. We are curating experiences for Indian travellers,” stated Rashed AlQurese, chief marketing and promotion officer, QTA.
Seventy per cent of hotels in Qatar are four star and five star. Hotels are competitive in the region and accommodation options range from hotel apartments to desert camps. Being a family destination, there are affordable hotels also.