Mr. Hassan Al Ibrahim, Assistant Secretary General of Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and His Excellency Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) meet on the sidelines of FITUR – the International Tourism Fair, currently being held in Madrid, Spain.
During the meeting, Mr. Al-Ibrahim briefed Mr. Pololikashvili on the latest developments in Qatar’s tourism sector, and the ongoing implementation of the National Tourism Sector Strategy: The Next Chapter 2018-2023. The UNWTO offered its expertise to support various programs that aim to enhance the end-to-end visitor experience in Qatar.
QNTC previously collaborated with UNWTO to conduct studies around the impact that visa facilitation can have on Qatar’s tourism industry and economy. Following a series of measures implemented between 2016 and 2018, including waiving entry visas for nationals of more than 80 countries, Qatar now stands as the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world, according to UNWTO rankings.
For further information, please contact QNTC’s Press Office on:
+974 4499 7882 or +974 3392 4466
About Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC)
Qatar National Tourism Council’s mission is to firmly establish Qatar on the global map as a place where cultural authenticity meets modernity, and where people of the world come together to experience unique offerings in culture, sports, business and family entertainment.
The NTC’s work is guided by the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS), which seeks to diversify the country’s tourism offering and increase the sector’s contribution to Qatar’s economy by 2030. In 2017, the Next Chapter of QNTSS was launched, charting the next five years (2018-2023) of the tourism sector’s growth.
Since launching QNTSS, Qatar has welcomed over 10 million visitors. The economic impact of the tourism sector in Qatar is becoming increasingly visible with 2016 estimates showing a total (direct and indirect) contribution to Qatar’s GDP of 6.7%.
