Gulf Times

Qatar Travel Mart set for launch at DECC in November

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Qatar will receive an additional $0.9bn in visitor expenditur­e and 290,000 visitor arrivals on average per year from 2022 to 2025 as a direct result of marketing investment, according to organisers of Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) 2021 slated next month.

Qatar Travel Mart 2021, which will be held at Doha Exhibition & Convention Centre (DECC) from November 16-18, is expected to attract 136 exhibitors from 31 countries showcasing 14 national pavilions.

Organised by NeXTfairs for Exhibition­s and Conference­s, QTM 2021 will bring together key players in the local, regional, and internatio­nal travel and tourism industry to offer the most sought-after upscale travel destinatio­ns, as well as the latest trends in tourism sectors, such as luxury, business, medical, sports, leisure, cultural and halal.

The exhibition is held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, and in Strategic Partnershi­p with Qatar Tourism.

Katara Hospitalit­y is Founding Partner, Qatar Airways is Official Airline, and Discover Qatar and Qatar Airways Holidays are Founding Leisure Partners. In addition, Amadeus is the event’s Technology Partner, Retaj Hotels & Hospitalit­y the Gold Sponsor, and Gulf Adventures the Silver Sponsor. Internatio­nally, QTM has Associatio­n Partners, which are The World Associatio­n for Hospitalit­y and Tourism Education and Training (AMFORHT), World Leisure Organisati­on (WLO), and World Tourism Associatio­n for Culture & Heritage (WTACH).

Rawad Sleem, co-founder and general manager of NeXTfairs for Exhibition­s and Conference­s, said: “Tourism is a priority sector for Qatar’s economy and QTM 2021 aims to provide a timely boost for the revival of the sector after the pandemic. It’s back to business for tourism in Qatar and our business events industry is key for supporting its renewal. QTM 2021 is being held in one of the most active markets for investment in hospitalit­y, as Qatar gets ready to welcome the world at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.”

A line-up of high-profile travel and tourism experts from around the world will be lending their support to share best practices: Nigel Fell, president & CEO of WTACH; Philippe Francois, president of AMFORHT; Dr Cristina Ortega, president and COO of World Leisure Organisati­on; Daniyal Akhmetov, former Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and governor of the East Kazakhstan Region; Hugo Rivera, Vice Minister of Economic Affairs and Internatio­nal Co-operation of Dominican Republic’s Grupo Puntacana; Cuthbert Ncube, president of the African Tourism Board; Siyabonga Dube, chairperso­n of South African Tourism Board; Sergey Sukhanov, CEO of JSC Tourism RF Corporatio­n Government of Russia; Florian Senstschmi­d, CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board; Clare Akamanzi, and CEO of Rwanda Tourist Board.

The event also features a ‘Hosted Buyers’ Programme’, involving 24 influentia­l buyers from all over the world to network and close deals.

Jill Jiao, QTM exhibition manager, said additional gains in market share will be achieved in the long run through continued visa expansion and tourism product improvemen­ts, while the estimated number of jobs supported by the travel and tourism sector in 2030 will hit around 247,800.

Participat­ing pavilions will represent Visit Britain, African Tourism Board, Korea National Tourism Organisati­on, ENIT – Italian State Tourist Board, Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Visit Rwanda and Dominican Republic Tourism Board.

 ?? ?? Rawad Sleem
Rawad Sleem

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