Qatar's tourism sector has witnessed several remarkable achievements in recent years.

These milestones helped grow the sector, whether in terms of the infrastructure or in terms of new projects that will boost the sector.

The remarkable growth reflects in the number of visitors to the country and the development of the infrastructure itself.

The total number of visitors to Qatar in the first seven months of 2019 grew 10.7 percent year-over-year to 1.19 million.

According to the statistics, as many as 469,100 visitors from Asia made their way to Qatar, representing 39 percent of the total visitors. Europe followed with 31 percent and a total of 375,500 visitors while visitors from the GCC grew 11percent year-over-year to 131,600 thousand.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued an Amiri decision on November 4, 2018, establishing the Qatar National Tourism Council under the chairmanship of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

This marked a new phase in the development of the tourism sector in Qatar.

HE Akbar Al Baker has been the Secretary-General of the Council since its establishment.

QNTC cooperates with the public and private sectors to implement the national tourism strategy of diversifying the products available to tourists and enhance the tourism promotion campaigns.

The issuance of Law No 20 of 2018 on Tourism Regulation and Law No 21 of 2018 on organizing business events was one of the most important stages of the development of the tourism sector.

These laws helped the sector to cope with the demands of the great developments in the tourism sector in terms of structure and management as well as the technical developments including diversifying export markets for visitors and diversifying tourism products and experiences.

The tourism sector has recently undergone rapid development after the opening of QNTC representative offices in the major exporting markets of the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Turkey, Russia, India, China, and Southeast Asia.

This coincides with the announcement of the World Tourism Organization that Qatar has become the most open country in the Middle East and the 8th most open in the world.

QNTC cooperates with the World Tourism Organization on several global initiatives, while the Council has worked to develop and regulate the way the tourism sector operates with a focus on developing the skills and competencies of workers in the sector.

QNTC has worked to strengthen Qatar's position as a global business destination and to collaborate with Qatar Tourism Authority's partners to attract more conferences and exhibitions.

The Council also supports companies to organize local exhibitions and events and allows them to lead the sector.

QNTC said that the main reason for the increase in the number of tourists was the recent moves to facilitate the visa procedures for visiting Qatar.

The country has become one of the most open and accessible in the Middle-East and eighth worldwide.

The visa-free entry policy allows entry to citizens of 80 countries around the world.

Qatar's strategic location, as well as its national carrier's expansive network of 170 destinations around the world, strengthens Qatar's value as a tourist destination.

The council also sought to organize several promotional events, the biggest of which was the Summer in Qatar.

The 11-week event saw QNTC cooperate with 68 partners, in addition to facilitating the process for relatives of current residents as well as past residents to visit.

Another big event was the Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF) that took place at Oxygen Park. The event saw the participation of 157 pavilions and 12 food trucks.

The Shop Qatar festival was another initiative that saw 14 malls and 54 hotels all over the country offer big discounts.

Thanks to the wise leadership of Qatar, the tourism sector overcame the blockade imposed on Qatar since 2017, achieving high growth rates and attracting tourists from India, China, Russia, the US, and Germany.

Qatar's hospitality sector also continued its dominance, retaining the top rank in the Middle-East for a second year in the Guest Experience in the Middle East Report released by hospitality and travel data providers Olery.

The firm analyzed more than 12 million guest comments from April 1 of 2018 to March 31 of 2019.

The sector also created tremendous investment opportunities in all aspects of tourism such as business events services, culture, and heritage, desert safari services, food, health and welfare, free activities and entertainment, sports, recreation, tour organization, tourist accommodation, transportation services.

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Source: QNA