DOHA: Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) hosted its Quarterly Framework Marketing Summit for the first quarter of 2016, where heads of QTA representative offices abroad and members of the sector in Qatar presented their plans for the year.
The overseas offices, covering the GCC, the UK, France, Germany, Southeast Asia and Italy presented their qualitative and quantitative reports reflecting their 2015 achievements, and targets and strategies for 2016.
Last year, QTA’s representative office organised trips to Qatar for 120 representatives of international trade media and 172 travel agents to familiarise them with the destination. The number of tour operators selling trips to Qatar increased to 188, while over 2,200 independent travel agents registered for QTA’s online TAWASH programme, which helps them develop expertise on Qatar and its tourism offering. Over 1,200 graduated.
Last year also saw the launch of the new Qatar destination brand, which will form the core of QTA’s marketing and promotion efforts this year and build on Qatar’s presence in international travel and trade shows.
“To maximise the positive impact of Qatar’s marketing efforts and resources, it is vital that all parties focus on promoting the key attractions that give Qatar its distinctive cultural edge. It is a question of synergy,” said Rashed Al Qurese (pictured), Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer, QTA. “We continue to avoid any dissipation or fragmentation of Qatar’s message, and ensure we create a strong and positive Qatar brand positioning that continues to resonate in our key overseas markets.”
Tourism is expected to play an important role in the global economy this year, with dropping fuel prices rendering it cheaper to travel. According to UNWTO’s recently released 2015 report, tourism showed resilience as it grew by 4.4 percent in the past year, despite global security challenges.
Marketing Qatar internationally involves collaboration between the public and private sectors, as hotels and other tourist facilities and services form key factors in the selection of the tourism products QTA promotes worldwide.
The summit provided networking opportunities for QTA marketing personnel to meet private sector representatives. It also allowed QTA’s overseas office representatives to interact with their counterparts in Qatar and to familiarise themselves with Qatar’s latest developments.
The Peninsula
