Shreya Shimpi
How important is India to you as a source market?
From the Qatar Tourism perspective, India is our second largest source market after Saudi Arabia and it’s a very important market. Last year we had 420,000 arrivals from India, an increase of twenty-five per cent compared to 2022. India is a priority market for us. We have fifteen priority markets that we are focusing on. Our Rep office BRANDit looks after our Trade engagement and Trade Business Development for MICE, leisure and weddings. We are heavily focusing on the trade through FAM trips, Roadshows, Trade shows, events, marketing and agreements.
Have you seen a significant increase in tourist footfall post-World Cup?
Yes, there has been an increase due to a combination of things. The World Cup was a springboard for us. Qatar’s Vision 2030 has tourism as one of its pillars along with economic development, sustainability and innovation. As a part of that, huge infrastructural changes are going on in Qatar. The World Cup has been a catalyst for that. We have added many more hotels, restaurants, attractions, water parks and theme parks to complement what we always had. We have world-class museums and a vibrant art, culture and dining scene. To increase the footfall of tourists, we are also having a lot of upcoming sporting events, Balloon festivals, entertainment performances, Formula One etc. We recently had the Shopping festival, Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition and a lot of such events which enhance the overall travel experience in Qatar.
How are you catering to the Indian wedding segment?
We hosted the DWP in Qatar last year and it was a massive success. Our teams in India and Qatar work very closely with all the major wedding planning companies. We host regular recces and facilitate an introduction to hotels to ensure they get the best deals. Qatar is a ten out of ten experience because of which we are attracting a lot of weddings.
What is your vision for 2024?
We are looking at having 4.7-4.8 million visitors. We are optimistic and clear about our goal of welcoming 6-7 million passengers by 2030. We will be in good shape if we can get 4.7-4.8 million passengers this year with a twenty per cent growth from the India market organically.
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