Doha 11th November 2013: Qatar tourism industry continues its upward climb, the official data released by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) on Sunday shows.
The average hotel occupancy rate rose from 50% to 57%. Despite the increase in room inventory the average room rate per available room per day for both four and five Star hotels rose by 8.82% from 2012.
Total revenue among four and five Star Hotels in Qatar increased by QR 85.3 million and reached a total of QR 703.1 million for the third quarter of 2013.
There is a 20% increase in the tourists from GCC countries and the visitors from other continents increased by 13.36%.
“Driving the tourism sector was increased exposure to the global economy, assisted by the influx of companies and businesses supporting Qatar’s infrastructure development,” said QTA.
“A diverse range of events and activities in Qatar, and increased regional and international presence during the third quarter of this year also pushed growth in the leisure sector. These include the Eid Festival 2013, as well as performances of Cirque du Soleil at the Aspire Dome,” the report added.
Over the third quarter QTA had a number of achievements including the Eid Al Adha Festival in October built on the success of the earlier Eid Al Fitr Festival, aimed at promoting Qatar as a regional family tourist destination.
The tourism authority announced the official opening of its French representative office in Paris in September. The Paris office is the second representative office in Europe.
“QTA also joined the world in celebrating World Tourism Day on the 27th of September, organizing a local photography competition to raise awareness of the importance of tourism to Qatar’s economy and the local community,” according to the report.
QTA has presented booming tourism and hospitality sector of the country at ITB Asia Show in Singapore, the largest travel show in Asia which was held between 23-25 October.
The report said: “The scene is set for continued growth, as new infrastructure readies to accelerate the growth of the sector. Doha Exhibition and Conference Centre is under construction and Hamad International Airport is set for an early 2014 opening.”
“QTA is readying the launch of a new phase in Qatar’s tourism industry with the release of the National Tourism Strategy, later this month, which will serve as the road map for the sector’s development in the coming years. Qatar Tourism Authority has a key role to play in co-ordinating the development of a sustainable tourism sector in the country, and growing tourism sector’s contribution to a diversified national economy,” it added.
With a number of venues for business and 45 four- and five-star hotels, the country is already a leading high-end destination for MICE, situated centrally between Europe and Asia.The authority is also set to launch a comprehensive tourism strategy before 2013 December, which aims at attracting more foreign visitors to Qatar.
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