(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
DOHA: In line with Qatar Tourism Authority's (QTA) focus on diversifying visitor source markets and promoting Qatar's unique tourism offering internationally, QTA gathered representatives of its global offices with members of the local tourism industry at its first quarterly Tourism Marketing Framework Summit for 2018.
At the event, QTA's international marketing strategists and members of the tourism sector presented plans to leverage upcoming events in the country to expand the presence of Qatar's destination brand globally. They also discussed ways for increasing the impact of international promotion campaigns that echo Qatar's message of welcoming the world.
Rashed AlQurese, Chief Marketing and Promotion Officer, said: 'As the majority of tourists make their travel plans for the year ahead in Q1, we understand that it is critical that our partners have the tools and information they need to intensify their efforts to attract visitors to Qatar. Our quarterly summits allow stakeholders locally and internationally to stay abreast of the destination's developments, align and synergise their efforts for the months ahead.
He added: 'We are particularly looking forward to kicking off our 2018 plans in the Chinese market now that we have gained Approved Destination Status (ADS) and opened offices there. Plans to establish our presence in other major source markets in Asia are also well underway.
Besides China, India and Russia and are among the more than 80 countries whose nationals have been granted a visa waiver by Qatar. Plans to establish a presence in the latter in 2018 are well underway and come as part of QTA's strategy to expand its presence in Asian markets. For example, the VisitQatar website now features a Russian language option to cater to potential visitors from the country. Attendees at the summit also discussed Qatar's representation at upcoming global tourism trade shows, which include ITB Berlin and Seatrade Cruise Global in March.
Marketing Qatar internationally entails close collaboration between public and private sector partners, including hotels, tourism establishments and the national airline, Qatar Airways.
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