DOHA: The second edition of “Sport & Tourism Forum” has highlighted the impact of sporting events on tourism in Qatar and optimising the use of sporting events and venues to attract tourists to the country.
The forum, organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) in partnership with the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), was held on the sidelines of the fourth edition of ASPIRE4SPORT Congress and Exhibition at Aspire Dome.
H E Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Secretary General of QOC highlighted the importance that sport represents in boosting the business of tourism and further contributing in achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives towards a sustainable and steady development.
“Every necessary effort is to be made by all stakeholders in order to come up with concrete actions and initiatives allowing the best use of the many available opportunities and means to promote sports and tourism activities in the country and attract the general public as well as the various economic sectors who will all benefit from them,” said Sheikh Saoud.
QTA Chairman Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi provided an overview of Qatar’s tourism sector approach, including the role sports play as one of eight focus tourism products.
“Sport brings the world together in a way that few other things can. Fans from around the world gather for iconic games, such as the Olympics and the World Cup, as we saw here first hand with the Asian Games in 2006 and as we anticipate for 2022. In many ways, therefore, the sports and tourism sectors are integrally connected. Sports events, which average around 20 each quarter, many of which are international, are very much part of Qatar’s flourishing events sector hosting over 60 major conferences each year,” he said.
The Sports and Tourism Committee (joint QTA and QOC) shed light on the relationship between sports and tourism in various aspects. The committee also gave a presentation on its role in the promotion of tourism through sports, especially that Qatar plays host to international sporting events that draw visitors from across the region, including the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, the Commercial Bank Grand Prix, as well as the upcoming 2015 IHF Handball World Championships, the World Boxing Championships, the 2015 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletic World Championship and the 2016 Road World Championships.
“Over the past decade, sports have played a significant role in driving attention, and will continue to do so in the next decade. We continue to work with local stakeholders to ensure that the tourism infrastructure and quality of experience exceed expectations for all visitors,” he said.
The Peninsula
