Page 62 - Special Issue QTM 2021

Philip Dickinson (VP International Markets at Visit Qatar):

We want to position ourselves as a whole world of its own in just one place
and to offer a more traditional, authentic Arabian experience

Philip Dickinson, Qatar Tourism’s VP International Markets Development spoke to Al Bayan
Magazine on the sidelines of the Qatar Travel Mart about Qatar’s plans to increase destination
awareness, and the country’s positioning in the run up to the World Cup next year. He shed light on
their strategy for the upcoming period and the role played by Qatar Tourism to cope with the devel-
opments and changes that are taking place regionally and globally. He further gave us an idea about
the facilities they are offering to attract visitors to Qatar. There is a lot going on at Qatar Tourism.
Below is an account of the interview.

“ ”We are looking to triple
international arrivals
* What will be your strategy at Qatar Tourism canoeing through the Al-Thakira mangrove

for the upcoming period? forests, paragliding, or kite surfing. So we offer an

- We have a very clear strategy - we are looking exciting mix of different activities and cultural

to triple our international arrivals. We had two mil- offers. We have Unesco heritage sites, which are

lion arrivals in 2019 and our goal is to increase great places to visit from a cultural perspective,

that three times to between 6 and 7 million by especially if visitors want to learn a bit more about

2030. We want to see a growth to GDP contribu- the history of Qatar and the Middle East. Another

tion from about 6 percent, which it is currently, to obvious demand space is romantic getaways. For

12 percent. We want to be a larger contributor to example, travellers on their way to Asia, Africa or

the economy of Qatar. the Indian ocean for a honeymoon can stop over

in Qatar for few days. 40 million people transited

* What is the role played by Qatar Tourism to through Qatar during 2019 and 2 million stopped

cope with all the developments and changes that over, so we have the potential to increase this

are taking place regionally and globally? number. Qatar is a hidden gem; therefore, we

- During the launch of the new strategy, we had some want to position ourselves as a whole world of its earned measures. Our strategy is to increase
awareness of what we are currently offering in
work conducted by [management consulting firm] own in just one place, offering traditional and Qatar and to explain to guests what they can
expect when they stay here.
BCG to identify the priority markets. We identified authentic Arabian experience.
* What facilities are you offering to attract vis-
about 14 markets and 17 countries, with a mix of win- * In your opinion, what will be the challenges itors to Qatar?
ter sun markets and a stopover business from big post the World Cup? - We are visa free for 95 plus countries already.
markets like the USA, or Australians traveling to - From a Qatar Tourism perspective, we will sup- We work extremely closely with award-winning
Europe. We identified source markets and what we port the World Cup and we want to build on the Qatar Airways, which is the largest carrier in the
call our demand spaces - what Qatar has to offer momentum. We know all eyes will be on Qatar for world based from the world’s best airport, Hamad
these markets - so we concentrated on sun and the biggest sporting event in the world, which will International. Travellers can fly directly to all con-
sand, particularly beach resorts which have excellent generate coverage all over the world. We want to tinents from Qatar. The travel partners, tour oper-
facilities and spas. take advantage of this exposure to provide poten- ators, travel agencies, etc. that we talk to in our
key source markets are existing clients of Qatar
Qatar offers an authentic tial travellers with more knowledge about our geo- Airways, so we are working closely with them to
graphical location and to show that we are a pro- provide competitive hotel rates and compile pack-
ages which are relevant and attractive to different
Arabic experience gressive country, we have a great choice of markets. More hotels are coming on line in Qatar
restaurants, etc. Moreover, we now also have a which will provide even more will be opportunities
to create new packages and welcome more visi-
We believe we have an amazing culture in Qatar. new name, and are now called Qatar Tourism. We tors to this beautiful country.

Qatar is what I would describe as a much more moved away from Qatar National Tourism Council

authentic type of Arabic experience. It stays true (QNTC), as part of our brand building. We will

to its roots, has fabulous museums and great continue with our awareness campaigns in the

souqs. We also offer fantastic desert experiences key markets, reaching the end user through digi-

and many other outdoor activities, such as diving, tal or social media, PR and a mix of paid and

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