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Satyendra Pathak
Doha
A spurt in international exhibitions taking place in Qatar has given a major boost to the country's tourism sector in the period following an unjust blockade of Qatar, a senior official of the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has said.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune, QTA Exhibitions Director Ahmed al Obaidli said the number of exhibitions taking place in Qatar has surged despite the ongoing blockade imposed on the country by the Saudi Arabia-led quartet.
In 2018 alone, Obaidli said, Qatar will have the distinction of organising 140 exhibitions, which is much higher than 120 exhibitions organised in the previous year.
Obaidli said Qatar has witnessed increase in international exhibitors making up more than the loss of exhibitors from blockading countries.
Starting from the third week of September until the end of 2018, he said, 11 major international exhibitions including Big 5 Qatar, Index Qatar, Milipol, Qatar Motor Show, Book Fair, Milipol Qatar, Heya Women Fashion Exhibition will be organised in Qatar.
To be participated by more than 37 countries, these exhibitions will play a vital role in increasing the number of visitors to Qatar, he said.
Obaidli said the rise in the number of such exhibitions also suggest that Qatar has emerged as a leading destination for business meetings, events and exhibitions.
QTA has been working to facilitate the growth of business events in the country by working with the private sector to organise and deliver quality business events.
He said QTA has tied up with a number of government agencies to make it easier for international exhibitors to showcase their products and services in Qatar.
"We are supporting the exhibitors. We work in close cooperation with customs authority in Qatar so that there is hassle-free entry of exhibiting materials and equipments to the country," he said.
Visa-on-arrival facility for the nationals of 88 countries has also played a big role in the success of such exhibitions, he said, adding that Qatar Airways operating its flights to over 150 international destinations is also a big support to the organisers.
He said state-of-the-art large exhibition areas in the country are also playing an important role in promoting the tourism industry.
Obaidli said the ongoing blockade has not impacted the sector as the number of international exhibitors participating in all the upcoming exhibitions is more than what was expected.
"In Big 5 Qatar alone, 230 exhibitors from across the world are participating. Such a huge number of international exhibitors is quite encouraging for us," he said.
