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Hamad Al-Ahbabi: Allow free investment in the sector
Yousef Al-Jassem: Incentives to strengthen marketing initiatives
Issa Nasr: Investment strategies beyond Doha
Abdul Rahman Ibrahim: Reduce prices of facilities and services
Experts and citizens stressed the importance of the development of the tourism industry in the State of Qatar in recent years, both in terms of the number of tourists in Qatar and the development of tourism infrastructure, and pointed out some requirements and suggestions made by the Qatar Tourism Department. The tourism industry needs to achieve further growth and progress in the local tourism industry, including investment in leisure and family tourism, as well as events, tournaments and exhibition tourism, which will receive more attention in 2024, in addition to diversification. Provide tourist options for young people and families, increase the tourist appeal for citizens and residents with different tastes.
Through Al-Arab, they called on resort and hotel owners and tourism industry leaders to make efforts to attract citizens and residents, who according to statistics spend more than $1.4 billion per year on foreign tourism, and to give them priority in their marketing strategies and not neglect to provide facilities and preferential prices for domestic tourists.
They also pointed out that providing tourism promotion offers, facilitating the issuance of tourist visas, opening up the glory road of entertainment city construction, and reducing the prices of facilities and services, and pointed out that high prices have made them lose the pleasure of relaxation. The services of the country’s tourism facilities may prompt some people to go abroad for vacation every year.
Free investment
Businessman Hamad bin Maiqa Al Ahbabi called for the private sector to be allowed to freely invest in the tourism industry as an effective development partner and give the sector advantages to increase its investments in the tourism sector after the formulation of a comprehensive tourism policy, separate from the planning of all regions across the country.
Al-Ahbabi pointed out that tourism plays an important role in the economies of countries as it has a significant impact on economic development. The economic impact of tourism is also reflected in the increase in foreign exchange earnings by providing the highest foreign exchange earnings from tourists’ spending. The length of stay is spent on various services and goods, both tourist and non-tourism, as tourism expenditure contributes to the development of many sectors, providing the tourism industry with the goods and services needed.
Ahbabi stressed that the contribution of tourism to the non-oil economy in Qatar is 4.7%, which is still lower than expected, confirming the need to incentivize business owners to inject investment into the tourism industry and to increase the promotion of tourism abroad. Incentives Qatar Airways to provide discounts to tourists traveling to Qatar for tourism and leisure.
He pointed out the importance of providing incentives for investments outside Doha to encourage businessmen to set up projects in foreign regions, support the country by providing tax incentives, facilitating loans and grants, and arranging official events for municipalities. He explained that this requires a plan to distribute the development gains among the various regions of the country after connecting these regions with modern transportation networks, based on economic studies based on economic and social aspects (cost-benefit analysis), which showed that achieving sustainable development is a balanced planning equation for the distribution of development gains.
Incentives
Issa Nasr Al Tamimi, for his part, stressed the need to develop a national strategy to encourage tourism investments outside the city of Doha, by providing investment incentives and identifying locations to accommodate development and attract new services and commercial projects in various external areas, including major cities, noting that this does not conflict with the localization of services and economic, commercial and social activities in the capital, stressing that the chances of success in creating development zones in some foreign cities are not great without national support, as is committed to making Doha a growth centre.
He pointed out the importance of opening up new investment areas outside Doha, on the one hand by providing land in external areas at reasonable prices to encourage private sector investment, and on the other hand by stabilizing land prices and their future trends in view of the current situation. Land prices outside Doha have increased significantly, which is inconsistent with the policy aimed at increasing investment outside Doha, especially when investors find that the price difference between inside and outside Doha is negligible, except for the development and restoration of heritage. The Qatar Museums Authority has played an important role in restoring and developing many areas and enhancing their role in the local and tourist communities.
He expressed the hope that more villages and archaeological sites would be restored, as they represent an important historical era, stage and path in the development and growth of our country. He stressed that their restoration is an extension and connection of history. The historical narrative of the past and the present, telling the journey of this nation from simplicity to modernity, shows that restoration has given it a special aesthetic touch, while preserving its unique original features and the depth of local heritage, reflecting the identity of this place, its culture and its past.
Price monitoring
Abdul Rahman Ibrahim stressed that price control of tourist facilities and services is one of the requirements for 2024, and it is necessary to classify residential units in tourist resorts, chalets and sea camps and reduce exaggerated price increases. He criticized the current policy of lowering offers and raising prices in the resort and chalet tourism sector to force people to pay available prices.
Regarding the prices of tourism products, Abdul Rahman said that the standards of hotels in Qatar are among the best in the world, but he believes that prices are exaggerated and stressed that resorts and hotels operating in the country should pay special attention to offering preferential prices to guests, including citizens and residents, because most of such guests go to hotels with their families and can visit several times a year. Regarding efforts to promote domestic tourism, he pointed out that Qataris are the best ambassadors of their country. Therefore, they spontaneously promote their country wherever they go and are known for their high morals, generosity and chivalry, which is something that the relevant authorities must take advantage of and strengthen cooperation with groups such as various types of young people to benefit from their thoughts and ideas. Voluntary efforts to promote tourism in many ways until we find its impact on the ground.
“But high prices across all sectors in Qatar have reduced the competitiveness of the tourism industry compared to traditional markets.
Corporate Support
Mr. Yousef Al-Jassim stressed that developing the country’s tourism industry requires supporting emerging tourism companies through incentives provided by the State to strengthen tourism marketing procedures and programs at the local level, and sponsoring the activities of these companies and promoting the activities of the Qatar Tourism Authority as the government entity responsible for promoting sustainable tourism in Qatar. Al-Jassim pointed out the weaknesses in the marketing process of domestic tourism projects, which required the Ministry to support local tourism companies in revitalizing and playing their role in promoting domestic tourism and ensuring that these companies operate according to the highest standards while promoting Qatari culture, heritage and identity.
Jassim stressed that the launch of the “Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy” has helped the development of the tourism sector, including the licensing process, and made it smoother for investors and owners of tourism facilities, but the issue also needs to be reduced in order to pay annual license renewal fees for local companies in these efforts to activate local tourism projects and stimulate domestic tourism.
Travel permit
In addition to exhibitions and their organizers, the General Directorate of Tourism is also responsible for issuing licenses to travel and tourism companies, tourism agencies and activities, and hotels. One of the measures that has been taken is to shorten the time it takes to obtain a tourist license. Applicants have the necessary documents from other government agencies such as the Ministry of Civil Protection, the Municipality and the Ministry of Urban Planning. It is expected that the new system will help improve the level of processes in the process of obtaining a tourist license.
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