Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority will launch a campaign mid-October introducing its new image and new identity.
Chairman Ahmed Abdullah M Al-Nuaimi spoke to CHERYL MANDY about the restructuring of the organisation which now represents not only the authority itself but the whole country.
“Awareness is what we are promoting at ATM. The Qatar Tourism Authority is being revived, the name has changed to the Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority, giving new lift, new structure to our organisation,” he said.
Its new logo and information about its new image will be available for the first time at the ATM.
“We don’t want to change our identity. We try to preserve our past but at the same time we are moving forwards to the future. We are going to modernise everything in Downtown Doha – we are preserving the Old Doha yet rebuilding it according to tradition and culture of the country.” From October the authority will be targeting high end tourism from markets such as Europe, Russia and Asia via promotional activities including exhibitions (ITB, WTM, ATM, ATB Asian and ILTM for starters) and road shows. It will be particularly keen on encouraging awareness of Qatar’s fine MICE facilities combined with leisure tourism.
“We want to be representing the whole country. We don’t want to sell an idea only; it has to reflect what we are as people. Our country’s tradition and culture is still very much as it was, not like some of the other GCC countries,” said Al-Nuaimi.The authority is also aiming to encourage cruise ships to come to Doha rather than by-passing it and going instead to Dubai, Muscat, Fujairah and Bahrain. “We are currently trying to ease up the rules and regulations here that control cruise ships – they are a little strict but this is being addressed.”
So far Doha has seven cruise ships a year. “Every ship that comes to Dubai we want to come to Doha too!” he said.
Simon Press, exhibition director of Arabian Travel Market, said that more than 45 Qatari companies are expected this year, and leading their contingent was Qatar Airways.
Reed Travel Exhibitions has flagged Qatar, as a high potential market for visitors to the ATM.
Press said many buyers had expressed interest in Qatar’s tourism offerings, and this figure was expected to rise in the coming weeks.
“On the other hand, trade visitors from Qatar will also have a wealth of possibility to identify and pursue outbound and inbound offerings from across the globe.”
With over 2,000 exhibitors expected, including more than 30 new-to-market exhibitors confirmed, the exhibition had seen steady overall space uptake by over 40 national tourist bodies representing 60 countries, including first time showings from Bangladesh, Croatia, Nepal and Nigeria.