Qatar airline gets £1m to boost Wales
Qatar Airways is receiving £1m from the Welsh Government to market Wales as a holiday and business destination to the world.
The two-year marketing partnership aims at promoting Wales and the new route into Cardiff Airport to Australia, New Zealand, India and north Asia.
It comes after Qatar Airways started its route between Doha, Qatar, and Cardiff Airport on May 1 this year.
The daily service between Cardiff and Hamad International Airport in Doha will provide capacity for up to 150,000 new passengers a year at the Rhoose-based airport, while the new route opens Cardiff Airport up to a network of more than 150 destinations.
The partnership seeks to “increase Wales’ visibility as both a holiday and business destination”, with the Middle Eastern airline matching the amount the Welsh Government is providing to spend on the campaign.
It includes consumer marketing, media activity and a global campaign on Qatar Airways-owned channels, while Visit Wales has also been marketing Wales in Australian cities.
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “The marketing partnership agreement between Welsh Government and Qatar Airways has been widely welcomed as an important mechanism for capitalising on the new flights and for increasing Wales’ visibility as both a holiday and business destination in key markets.
“Activity includes consumer marketing as well as travel trade engagement and press and media activity and a global campaign on Qatar Airwaysowned channels. The partnership has also enabled Visit Wales’ first direct consumer marketing activity in key Australian cities.”
First Minister Carwyn Jones previously described the deal as a “huge boost” for Wales. The Welsh Government originally said the deal’s significance could not be underestimated and the value was commercially sensitive – but opposition politicians criticised it for not releasing the information.
Shadow Economy and Transport spokesperson Russel George AM said: “[The] revelation that £1m of taxpayers’ cash was used to support the deal between Cardiff Airport and Qatar Airways raises serious questions for the Welsh Government. It is not god enough to hide behind ‘commercial sensitivity’ to keep these details quiet.”
It comes a week after Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar Al Baker said the new route was “not performing as we expected”.
He told The Independent: “Cardiff is still not performing as we expected it to perform. We are giving it time. We are hoping Cardiff will come around, passenger-wise. Air freight-wise, it’s doing absolutely well – there’s a lot of air-freight demand in and out of Cardiff.”
However, Cardiff Airport commercial director Spencer Birns said they were “pleased” with developments since the service started 10 weeks ago.
He said: “All routes take time to mature and we expect passenger numbers to continue to grow accordingly. We will continue to work closely with Qatar Airways throughout the region and in showcasing Cardiff Airport as an alternative gateway to the UK.”