DOHA: Qatar Museum Authority’s (QMA) Cultural Tourism Unit will present its latest strategy for the country at the ‘Tourism in Tomorrow’s World’ Conference on February 23-24 at the Renaissance Doha City Centre Hotel.
The unit is focusing on developing and raising awareness of cultural tourism sites Qatar has to offer by preserving and interpreting their history and heritage.
Plans are underway to restore more architecturally significant buildings and sites to develop them as cultural centres and galleries for visitors to experience first-hand the social life in Qatar before the discovery of oil.
Professor Thomas Leisten, Chief Archaeology, Architectural Conservation and Cultural Tourism Officer at QMA and Head of Cultural Tourism, said: “The future belongs to cultural tourism. It is central to Qatar’s tourism plans, as the country appeals to its visitors by showing off its historical sites and archaeological gems in the best light.
“Having restored many of these – from Barzan Towers to Unesco World Heritage Site, Al Zubarah; 19th century desert forts like Al Thaqab and Arakiyyat to Bronze Age sites such as purple-dye production site Jazirat Bin Ghanam and the rock carving of Jassassiya to Al Wajba Fort which played the role in the defeat of the Ottomans in 1893, Qatar has places of interest to visit where visitors can soak up its culture and history.
“In fact, more exciting restoration projects are on the horizon, like restoring the old Fish Souq in Al Khor, built of local stone and traditional materials; and four villages, including the old pearl-diving village Al Mafyar.
“We are also developing a stunning collection of high-end venues for all types of events, which will attract the MICE business sector.”
As part of its initiative to promote QMA’s museums and sites of interest, the unit has created tour packages allowing people to experience the art and culture of Qatar.
Whether on an international stop-over with two hours to spare, or a weekend that could take in a day trip to the desert, the packages allow visitors to make the best use of their time in Qatar.
Professor Robert Coelen, Executive Dean of Stenden University Qatar, said: “Cultural tourism has a long history, and is arguably the original form of tourism. It is also one of the forms of tourism that most policymakers seem to be betting on for the future.
“World Tourism Organisation, for example, asserted that cultural tourism accounted for 37 percent of global tourism, and forecast that it would grow at 15 percent per year.
“In fact policymakers, tourist boards and cultural attraction managers around the world continue to view cultural tourism as an important potential source of tourism growth.
“In general, there is an increased interest in culture in society partly due to the number of people entering higher education in Europe being about three times as high today as it was 30 years ago.
“This means that more people are in a position to interpret and appreciate culture as presented by cultural attractions, museums and historical sites. Modern cultural tourism is a form of tourism that has become so popular that everybody seems familiar with it and many people are keen to develop it. For Qatar in particular, authenticity is a key part of its tourism offering and research indicates that the need for authentic experiences of the past is particularly high among cultural tourists.”
The Peninsula
