Chairperson of Qatar Tourism (QT) HE Saad bin Ali bin Saad Al Kharji has announced that Qatar Tourism intends to develop its strategy and regulations to enable the private sector to increase growth in the tourism sector and attract tourists.

Speaking at the ‘From the Gulf to the World: The Future of Tourism’ session at Qatar Economic Forum 2024, he said that Qatar is currently building on the successes of hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022to develop the tourism sector, noting that the Qatar World Cup played a significant role in telling about the region, its heritage, cultures, and tourist attractions, especially after Qatar hosted this global event.

He pointed out that the World Cup played a role in providing a comprehensive view of tourism in the region, especially in the fields of culture, art, museums, and others, adding that tourism is important for the economies of the region. Qatar and other GCC countries are now emerging as tourist destinations, and this is the right time for the region, he added.

Al Kharji affirmed that the tourism sector in the GCC countries is growing rapidly and witnessing an increase in demand, especially given the strong connection between the tourism sector and airlines in the region, which has contributed more to tourist flows.

He pointed out that QT is working to further enhance the large capabilities of the tourism sector in the country through increased local spending, training, and legislation to increase employment, in addition to ensuring a high level of service at all levels to highlight authentic and unique Gulf hospitality.

He also mentioned the cooperation between the GCC countries regarding the unified Gulf tourist visa, saying: “By the end of this year, we may see the unified GCC Visa, which will contribute to increasing the number of visitors to the region.”

In the same context, the chairperson of Qatar Tourism highlighted the cooperation with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, indicating that Qatar Tourism, in cooperation with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage and ‘Discover Saudi’ belonging to ‘Almosafer’, as the destination management company in the Kingdom, announced in March the launch of a new promotional campaign titled ‘Double the Discovery’. It is aimed at promoting the most prominent attractions and tourist destinations in both countries, allowing international visitors to both countries the opportunity to explore the most prominent tourist attractions, cultural centres, and historical sites in both Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through a single trip.

For his part, Saudi Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al Khateeb, said that the tourism sector is an important pillar in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, pointing out that the Kingdom plans to accelerate the growth of the sector in terms of attracting tourists and increasing the capacity of tourism facilities.

He confirmed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has increased spending on the tourism sector and is working to build new tourist destinations such as NEOM and the Red Sea, among others, with the aim of offering new experiences to tourists.

In the same context, Chairperson and CEO of Accor Group Sebastian Bazin emphasized that tourism constitutes 11 percent of the global GDP and helps prevent conflicts and disputes, as tourists and travellers become acquainted with different cultures, customs, and peoples, which enhances coexistence and peace.

He pointed out that the GCC countries will benefit from the tourist flows coming from the Chinese and Indian tourist markets. He noted that GCC countries are witnessing rapid growth in the tourism sector, and it is expected that they will witness further tourism growth due to their plans, vision, ambition, economic abilities, and human resources to help them in development and growth.