As the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) is stepping up its ambitious plans to receive a million business and leisure travellers each year by 2010, the country is beefing up its participation at the ATM 2005.
With the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006 less than 20 months away, the construction of a new $5 billion airport well underway and an iconic development project, which will create 30 km of new coastline, Qatar’s presence in ATM 2005 is set to attract massive attention.
“Qatar’s commitment to ATM has traditionally been strong and this fresh spate of tourism developments and infrastructure, combined with the excitement generated by next year’s Asian Games are all good reasons for further growth of the country’s inbound tourism industry,” said Chris Chackal, group exhibitions director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.
Qatar Airways, one of the fastest growing airlines in the world, and the operator of the New Doha International Airport (NDIA), which is scheduled to open in 2009 and to be fully developed by 2015, has taken a 110 sq m pavilion at ATM 2005.
Designed to help shape Doha as a key regional and global business and leisure travel hub at the crossroads of East and West, the new airport will be the world’s first to be designed and built specifically for Airbus’s new A380-800 double-decker super jumbo, the largest passenger aircraft ever built.
“The massive regional development projects such as the Pearl-Qatar and the hosting of major sporting events such as the Asian Games 2006 conjure up a dynamic combination further boosting the Middle East as a high-end tourism destination and cementing ATM’s position amongst the world’s most important industry events,” said Chackal.
A total of 110 Qatar travel trade industry specialists converged to Dubai last year, registering a five per cent improvement as compared to the 2003 event.