TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
Ayman Al Qudwa, General Manager, Falcon Travel, Qatar, shares with TRAVTALK the many aspects post the FIFA World Cup as to how the destination attracts visitors. The World Cup showcased Qatar as a bucket list destination with many different activities to experience. This winter, Qatar expects cruise tourism to go one step further.
Shehara Rizly
What is the current situation post World Cup in Qatar?
We can see a lot of international visitors still experiencing Qatar after the World Cup. If you look at the souk areas it has changed leaps and bounds, making it a place for both domestic and international visitors to spend their leisure time partaking on the cultural side of Qatar. Souq Waqif is a beacon of more than wonderful activity and movements, especially from the tourists of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Do you see the cruise season picking up in Qatar?
It is expected that the current cruise season will be the most successful and best of all, due to the completion of the infrastructure and the completion of the development and modernization operations of Doha Port, which is Qatar’s global gateway to marine tourism, as well as the development of marine tourism work mechanisms that ensure the achievement of ease and flexibility in receiving and leaving ships that take Doha as a departure and return station.
What are the new cruises and the expected visitor numbers?
As announced by Qatar Tourism and Mwani Qatar, The Winter Cruise Season for 2022-23 started December 25, 2022, with the first Cruise Ship Le Bougainvilie carrying 294 tourists. Since then the second cruise was on December 29, 2022, with 5,650 tourists, MSC World Europe and thirdly with Cruise Artania on January 8, 2023, with 1011 Tourists. It is expected that the current marine tourism season will witness the arrival of a large number of international ships that will take Doha as a starting and return station, which contributes to stimulating local tourism and enhances the operational work of all local service facilities related to the tourism sector.
What are the main reasons for cruise tourism to pick up in Qatar?
Well, we are witnessing huge improvement after the new developments with Old Doha Port, compared to last year’s (2021-22) only 34 cruises with 100,500 tourists. The opening of the passenger terminal at Doha Port contributes effectively to the influx of cruise tourists, as it is characterized by a large capacity and facilitates the smooth entry and exit procedures for tourists. A year of distinguished and comprehensive development, it has become an important tourist destination visited by many tourists at the local and international levels, as it has the latest restaurants and shops, in addition to picnics by the sea. This season Qatar Tourism expected more than 50 cruises with almost 200,000 tourists.
What do you see in terms of new trends in cruise bookings?
We can see that the short-term cruise bookings average between one night to a maximum of five to seven nights. Another important factor is transparency and honesty between all the parties and countries to avoid the huge damage which impacts negatively our industry and the world economy.
How will you attract customers, especially from the ME?
By participating in more roadshows within GCC and the Middle East and most importantly, planning in advance for Arabian Travel Market.
Will you be able to attract the Gen Z travellers?
Yes, in Qatar we have huge trust in the vision of Qatar Tourism to attract all types of travellers and tourists from all regions, as per Qatar’s 2030 vision to reach 6 million tourists every year.
