Qatar and Italy enjoy an excellent relationship and the strong cooperation between the two countries is expanding to new areas, said Italy’s Ambassador to Qatar, H E Alessandro Prunas, during the 6th Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) webinar entitled ‘Italy: On Tourism, Destinations, and Recovery’.
“Italy and Qatar enjoy an excellent relationship and we are preparing to welcome our Qatari friends back to Italy,” the ambassador pointed out,” highlighting these relations have been growing steadily in all sectors throughout the years. The very solid friendship and mutual trust that is built on people to people growing interaction but also on continuous high-level dialogue and deep economic cooperation.
Even during the pandemic except for the months of strict lockdown, delegations and contacts have been regularly exchanged, highlighting the intense relationships which bring more interaction in economic field and business cooperation is very solid in various sectors - Made in Italy products, offering innovation advancing technology and highly customized products and services as our Qatari friends well know.
Prunas reiterated, this cooperation is expanding to new subjects and areas with an increasing attention to sustainability, ecological transition, and renewable energies. It is a fruitful cooperation and exchanges at all levels and sectors which is also instrumental in encouraging context among people and mutual appreciation.
The ambassador noted, regarding COVID-19 the Italian government pays the upmost attention ensuring safe international mobility in our country that means encouraging tourist flows in compliance with restrictions and policies. Within the EU borders the European green pass will ensure a greater mobility in line with the needs for protection. Italy is considering relaxing domestic COVID-19 restrictions and allow tourism from countries such as Qatar where authorities have succeeded keeping the COVID-19 under control.
He said, “Qatar did very well, the number of cases are very low, and the amount of vaccinated population is high and constantly increasing. Hopefully, we will be able to see our Qatari friends back and very soon.”
Prunas emphasised, in view of gradually resuming Schengen visas operations, we are working closely with our visa service providers in Doha to ensure a smooth restart of operations for tourism as well providing new services for future applicants taking into account the new health regulation and social distancing protocols. We are making full use of available technologies to facilitate the submission of applications.
“In September, the embassy is also planning an intense cultural program encompassing initiatives in various fields – arts, design, fashion, music, cuisine, social, community, and lifestyle which the embassy has been promoting throughout the years for organizing events and activities in partnership with Qatari institutions. Qatar Travel Mart is part of these number of events that we will be promoting. I believe it will be a very important milestone to launch tourism in Italy,” he added.
“Moving on to Italy as a tourist destination, the situation in Italy has improved a lot in the last few months, numbers have declined drastically, second and third waves are now behind us. We can now enjoy the beautiful historic cities and the breathtaking landscapes that Italy has to offer. Economic and social activities have reopened, and we can look ahead with trust and confidence. The recovery plan which is the largest stimulus package ever agreed within the European Union will benefit among other EU countries. Italy will use the funds to revive business and activities including in the tourism sector,” the diplomat explained.
“COVID-19 brought many changes in our lifestyle and consequently in our ways of travelling but this will not stop people from exploring the world and connect with other cultures. Italy can offer a wide variety of destinations and solutions for tourist and visitors and has therefore the potential to match different travelers’ preferences. As soon as we are ready, we look forward to have you back in Italy for a unforgettable travel experience,” the envoy said.
The webinar also hosted several esteemed line of speakers who discussed about the top destinations for tourism in Italy. QTM organised the virtual event anticipating the upcoming Qatar International Exhibition for Travel and Tourism which will take place in November 2021.
