Qatar tour operators upbeat as industry makes post-blockade recovery

Doha-based tour operators are upbeat with the country’s tourism sector showing post-blockade recovery trends.

The number of foreign tourists who have visited Qatar in the first two months of the year has increased by eight percent to 376, 106 visitors in January and February this year from 347, 624 visitors during the same period in 2018.

Talking to The Peninsula, Qatar International Adventures’ (QIA) Managing Director and Owner Walid Al Jaouni said: “The number of foreign visitors is increasing and more people are getting to know about the country.

Following the government’s strategy, we have also opened new marketing strategies to attract the Chinese, Indian, Russian, and Iranian markets. We’re bringing in more foreign tour operators to show them what we have here in Qatar so they can start sending tourist groups. And that is already working.

“Recently, we have also opened our representative offices to intensify marketing strategies in China and Russia where we have received very good response. Accordingly, we have now developed our websites in these two different languages to encourage people from these two big markets to visit Qatar and to make things much easier for the tourists so they can just book their tours, pay, and confirm everything through our website”.

According to Jaouni, the company, which is one of the leading tour operators in the country, has also been actively participating in various global exhibitions with the Qatar National Tourism Council.

He also said, “We went to the Moscow exhibition, and did marketing in three different cities in China, as well as met with tour operators in India. The number of foreign tourists is increasing by big percentage also because of the easing of tourist visa restrictions. Also, we have been to Berlin, Frankfurt, Barcelona, and Miami, and every time, we see there’s a big potential. The closer we get to the FIFA World Cup 2022, the more people hear about Qatar as a destination, and more people are interested to come and see what Qatar is all about”.

Jaouni also said: “This year is going to be much better than 2018. While there are new and emerging big markets, we’re actively pursuing all markets.

“We’re developing our self internally by adding more tours with more guides. Because what we got now is enough, but the number of tourists is increasing so we need to make more attractions and expand our operations.”

According to Lourdes Dolor, Assistant Manager for Social Media & Online Marketing at Darwish Travel Co, the company has also been receiving more requests from foreign tourists to assist them with local tours and accommodation.

She said: “The Qatari government is doing a lot of projects to boost tourism. We’re definitely optimistic. The number of inbound tourists will further increase especially with the anticipation towards the World Cup. We’re actually partnering with some companies involved in the M.I.C.E. industry in Europe and as early as now they’re already looking for partners here to assist their delegations.

“By July onwards, we expect the increasing trend to continue particularly with the  completion of other large properties. And we expect more foreign companies to come forward with inquiries.

“Qatar is increasingly becoming more interesting to foreign tourists with the recent completion of new infrastructures such as the National Museum of Qatar. Tourism is more active now, and we expect things will become more accessible later on with the completion of the Qatar Rail project. Definitely, there will be more variety of activities for tourists”.

Qatari start-up owner Noura Amri, who started Tartebkum Holidays, is also growing her team to prepare for the large influx of tourists expected to visit Qatar in the run up to the FIFA World Cup. Tartebkum Holidays is one of the companies in the country which has been designated by the Qatar National Tourism Council as ‘approved tour operator for hosting Chinese tour groups’.

She said: “We’re developing our company to handle the guests. We’re adding more tour guides and buses. We’re working hard and more focused in attracting more foreign tourists. By month-end I’m also going to South Africa in an effort to bring more South African tourists to Qatar, and we’re doing new projects with the hotels here as well.”

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