Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H E Akbar Al Baker with other dignitaries and officials during the opening ceremony of Qatar Travel Mart 2021 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, yesterday.
Doha: High optimism abounds for a rebound in global travel and tourism at the inaugural Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) 2021 which opened yesterday under the patronage of the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani and inaugurated by the Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani.
The opening ceremony for the three-day event, which is being organised by NeXTfairs for Exhibitions and Conferences was also attended by Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive H E Akbar Al Baker, the Co-Founder and General Manager of NeXTfairs Rawad Sleem, in addition to more than 70 high-level VIPs including 18 Ambassadors, prominent executives and top country delegations at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).
The first day of the QTM 2021 Conference started with a keynote speech by Al Baker on “The Importance of Tourism for the Qatar National Vision 2030 and The Developments and Remarks in Qatar”, which was followed by a speech from the Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Museums Ahmad Musa Al Namla.
“There’s demand for cultural experience. Today, tourism focus has moved more toward a desire to experience art, culture, and history. In just two or three generations, the opportunity to experience the richness of a global culture has gone from being a privilege to a form of a mass consumption and a possibility for millions more,” Al Namla said during the event.
Globally, travel and tourism has been through its worst crisis. The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) estimates that the global travel sector has lost almost $4.5 trillion in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are now entering the new post-COVID era of global tourism. Destinations are opening up, and with global progress on vaccine roll-out, Doha Exhibition and Convention Center are traveling again. Travel and tourism generates 10 percent of the world GDP, and recovering the sector is crucial to the economy. This is an opportunity to build back better, driving genuine sustainability and regenerative tourism into the industry’s new era, which is reinforced by 300 tourism stakeholders signing up to the Glasgow Declaration of Climate Action in Tourism at COP26 earlier this week,” said Nick Pilbeam, an award winning strategic leader and Conference Chairperson of the event, during a regulatory panel discussion on “Road to Recovery and How the Future Look Like”.
Also speaking during the event, Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar H E Ridwan Hassan reiterated that Indonesia is now gradually reopening Bali to tourists with certain conditions. He added that the possibility of resuming Qatar Airways flights to Bali are also being considered.
Speaking about travel bubbles, the Ambassador said: “When we encourage the arrival of tourists, we have to protect not only the people domestically, but we also have to protect the people coming to the region as well. So at this moment, I think it is very wise to do it gradually”.
With regards to leisure travel, Qatar has the potential to become a leading destination for leisure travel, said Dr. Cristina Ortega Nuere, Chief Scientific and Operating Officer for the World Leisure Organization.
She said: “Qatar is implementing many policies to become a leading country in terms of leisure. In the last two decades, most cities that want to attract tourists are developing events like sports and games, and also opening new venues like museums, auditoriums or stadiums involved in sports. But we also have to put in the spotlight finding sustainable solutions to drive global recovery.
“We have to bear in mind that when we speak about sustainability, we cannot forget economic growth, socio cultural benefits for citizens, as well as to minimise the environmental impact. Qatar keeps this balance. For example, showing Islamic history and culture, as well as combining these cultural assets, with other international events and sports events,” Nuere added.
For Rick Enders, Cluster General Manager at JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha, while COVID restrictions are easing, the use of face masks may continue for the next two years.
“We all think that face masks is not going to go away for the next two years. What we have seen as well is more and more people have educated themselves when it comes to personal hygiene,” Enders said during the panel discussion.
He added: “I’m 100 percent positive that travel will come back as before. I think there’s going to be more travel, because more people have the availability to travel. And there are a lot of cheaper airlines to get people to their destinations. But for the next generation of traveler, I think they are going to be more based on experience. It is not just about going to a hotel, they want to experience something which normally you cannot buy. So we need to find these niche markets. Travel will be back. And I think the airlines will continue with their mass sanitation”.
QTM 2021 features 34 regional and international countries and 150 exhibitors from across the world.
Sleem said: “QTM 2021 represents a boost for Qatar Tourism, a key priority for Qatar’s economy, and the revival of the sector after the pandemic in the build-up of international interest in FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 next year.
“QTM is launching at a time when ‘Qatar Tourism’ Marketing is undergoing significant transformation. With the launch of a comprehensive campaign across 17 countries, Qatar will propel into the spotlight for many years to come. There is no doubt that Qatar’s tourism sector has a bright future with a plan to increase the tourism GDP contribution from 6 percent to 12 percent by 2030, and it will take a lot of effort to provide an excellent level of service to fulfill that mandate. QTM is very much part of that effort,” he added.
Earlier, a VIP tour of all the major stands and country pavilions was conducted following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the Minister ceremoniously cutting a cake at Katara Hospitality’s stand.
Vice Chairman of Al Hattab Holding Abdulaziz Saad Al Kaabi, and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Katara Hospitality Andrew Humphries were also present during the event, in addition to the 18 country Ambassadors and representatives from Germany, Tanzania, Spain, Korea, Egypt, Mexico, Tajikistan, Thailand, Japan, Dominican Republic, Republic of Haiti, Srilanka, Switzerland, Italy, India, Indonesia, Rwanda, and Azerbaijan.
QTM’s Founding Partner is Katara Hospitality, Qatar Tourism as Strategic Partner, Qatar Airways Holidays the Founding Leisure Partner along with Discover Qatar. The Supreme Committee is the Founding Sports Partner, Qatar Airways as the Official Airline and Mowasalat the Official Transport Partner. Amadeus is the event’s Technology Partner, Retaj Hotels & Hospitality the Gold Sponsor and Gulf Adventures and Elite Motors are Silver Sponsors. Association Partners also include The World Association for Hospitality and Tourism Education and Training (AMFORHT), World Leisure Organisation (WLO), and World Tourism Association for Culture & Heritage (WTACH).
