TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA THE Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) showcased the country’s growing importance as a tourist destination at the ITB Berlin, Europe’s biggest travel trade show which ended in Germany on Sunday.

QTA led a delegation of officials and representatives from 25 of Qatar’s top hotels and tourism operators to the event.

Staged annually in Berlin, the International Tourism Bourse is a five day businessto- business event presenting a diverse range of destinations, products and services from 4,000 suppliers representing over 160 countries.

The event was a unique opportunity for the travel trade to network, negotiate and conduct business at one venue.

Abdulla Malalla al Bader, director of tourism with Qatar Tourism Authority, was invited to the opening day event sponsored by the German-Arab Tourism Forum as a speaker. The forum, which was held for the 12th time at ITB, provided participants an opportunity to hear discussions on the importance of the Arabian states to the German market.

Al Bader in his presentation said that Qatar has developed in a very short time into an internationally recognised destination.

During the event, QTA launched a social media campaign in cooperation with German travel trade publication FVW. The campaign accessible at www.facebook.com/qatar.qa tartourism provides followers the opportunity to participate in a raffle. A daily VIP prize was drawn at the booth.

In addition to numerous appointments at the booth with travel professionals, Qatar on Thursday hosted a ‘juice hour’ at the booth for journalists. Approximately 40 guests were presented the latest developments and participated in a raffle. The winner of the prize, Nino Ketschagmadse, a cultural travel journalist won an ipad.

QTA Chairman Ahmed A Nuaimi was honoured by the Pacific Area International Travel Writer’s Association (PATWA) as the “International Achiever of the Year” in an awards ceremony.

Al Nuaimi said Qatar’s tourism promotion strategy in Europe played to the country’s strengths.

“Qatar has become one of the emerging destinations in world travel and tourism thanks to Qatar Airways’ growth as well as our strategy to highlight the range of activities on offer in Qatar,” he said. “Qatar has everything a high-end traveller needs – stunning hotels, cultural icons, many leisure activities and for the business traveller, ease of access.

“It is important for QTA and our delegation to participate in events like ITB Berlin as it not only allows us to showcase Qatar as a destination, but we can also discover new trends in the industry.” In addition, he said, the world’s largest tourism convention ‘Market Trends and Innovations’ provides unique opportunities to benefit from the leading think tank of the global tourism industry. All levels of the value-added chain are present: tour operators, booking engines, destinations, airlines, and hotels right through to car rental companies.