An Interview with…
Mr. Rawad Sleem Co-Founder & General Manager of NexTFairs Doha, Qatar This month we meet up with Mr. Rawad Sleem, Co-Founder & General Manager of NexTFairs, organisers of the inaugural Qatar Travel Mart set to take place this November 2021, in the capital city of Doha. Here we find out how Qatar’s tourism industry is placed to welcome international tourism players to the event and what has changed in the city over the past few years. What does Qatar offer tourists compared to its other regional destinations? Qatar offers experiences that combine old and new, the traditional with the modern; from lavish malls to desert adventures, to a cultural walk through Souq Waqif or fine dining at The Pearl Qatar, tourists can truly experience the best of both worlds. Qatar also has very diverse tourism offerings comprised of cruise tourism which brings in over a hundred thousand visitors a year, sports tourism held in international sports venues which hosts approximately 80 sporting events and world class competitions across a multitude of disciplines on an annual basis, and not to forget the upcoming FIFA 2022 World Cup which will be the first to be held in the region. MICE tourism which offers world class hotels and state of the art convention centres, strategic location as the crossroads of East and West with award winning airline, Qatar Airways, operating flights to interna tional travel hubs. Events and destination weddings also contribute to the diverse tourism offering of Qatar due to the vast array of luxury hotels and world class convention centers, as well as the unmatched Arabian hospitality.
Why has Qatar decided now to launch its own international tourism event? NeXTfairs aims to support Qatar’s National Vision with their 2030 strategy which aims to attract 5.6 million tourists by 2023 , tourism is expected to play a greater role in Qatar’s economy going forward, with huge investment from Qatar National Tourism Council in the hospitality sector, including floating hotels, entertainment island to feature six beaches, and creating a wor ld-class hub for culture, relaxation, adventure, history and sport. Especially after these challenging times, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to make the industry bounce back. As a business solution leader, we aim to connect people in the industry and be a motivator for Tourism as it once again opens new horizons and provides fresh opportunities in the industry. QTM 2021 intends to lead the way for the Tourism Industry to recover by promoting face-to-face interaction as a tool of the marketplace as well as to support industry peers and organizations post Coronavirus, create an opportunity to meet with industry partners in Qatar to generate business deals, take part of the investment plans to sustain demand in Qatar for the FIFA 2022 World Cup, provide a platform to promote and discuss change on the standards of travel and to strengthen efforts in reassuring the Traveling Public on safety post Coronavirus.
