Tourism & Culture
From The Report: Qatar 2017
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Qatar’s tourism sector is gearing up for expansion in anticipation of a major influx of tourists for the six-week 2022 FIFA World Cup, with the event expected to attract close to 1m visitors. In the build-up to the tournament, investment is being channelled into the development of tourism-related infrastructure to accommodate visitor traffic, and provide avenues of entertainment and sightseeing. In 2016, following the slump in global oil prices, the government identified tourism as one of several priority sectors to be expanded in pursuit of diversification, and a high-level taskforce was created to drive its growth. The strategy revision process began in April 2017, and the economic blockade led by Saudi Arabia and several other Arab nations imposed in June 2017 gave it new impetus and momentum. This chapter contains an interview with Hassan Al Ibrahim, Acting Chairman, Qatar Tourism Authority; and Sohair Wastawy, Executive Director of Qatar National Library.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Preparing for guests: Infrastructure upgrades are set to drive new demand
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Qatar’s tourism sector is gearing up for expansion in anticipation of a major influx of tourists for the six-week 2022 FIFA World Cup. The event is expected to attract close to the 1m visitors that travelled to Brazil for the most recent World Cup in 2014. In the build-up to the tournament, investment is being channelled into the development of tourism-related infrastructure to accommodate visitor traffic, and provide avenues of entertainment and sightseeing. In 2016, following the slump…

Interview

Welcoming the world: Hassan Al Ibrahim, Acting Chairman, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), on growing tourist inflows over the long term
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Interview:Hassan Al Ibrahim What potential does the tourism sector have to make a greater contribution to the economy? HASSAN AL IBRAHIM: Since the launch of the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS) in early 2014, the contribution of the tourism sector to the national economy has grown significantly. Qatar’s leadership has identified tourism as a priority sector in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2017-22, which aims to consolidate economic diversification efforts. QTA launched…

Interview

Curating culture: Sohair Wastawy, Executive Director, Qatar National Library (QNL), on knowledge transfer and digital information
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Interview:Sohair Wastawy How can digital information and the QNL contribute to the advancement of knowledge? SOHAIR WASTAWY: We talk about the new Qatar as a nation guided by knowledge, and libraries are places that make knowledge more accessible. Information, whether provided digitally or through traditional mediums, enables us to better understand ourselves as individuals, as well as our surroundings. QNL is promoting national, Arabic and Islamic identities through digital platforms. We…

Analysis

Resilience is key: New supply and greater diversity are expected to aid recovery in the hospitality segment
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Under pressure from reduced corporate demand, softer oil prices and slow economic growth, the hospitality industry in Doha and the wider GCC struggled with lower occupancy rates in 2016 and 2017. However, growth in the industry is expected to be faster over the next four years than in any other market in the Gulf region, with the exception of Dubai. In its 2016 “GCC Hospitality Industry Report”, financial advisory firm Alpen Capital forecast that growth in Qatar’s hospitality market…