A 24-member Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) delegation is making its final preparations for a promotional roadshow through Asia, which is scheduled to kick off mid-October.

The Asian roadshow comes on the back of a successful tour which took place in Europe earlier in the year, said a statement from QTA.

QTA and leading members of the tourism industry aim to strengthen ties with the Asian countries and boost awareness of Qatar’s tourism offerings to professionals in the travel trade, it added.

The cities on the roadshow include Seoul, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, with the campaign finishing just before ITB Asia in Singapore.

The slogan of the campaign, “Experience 48 hours in Qatar:  Our Business is Your Pleasure”, embodies the mission to promote Qatar as destination for meetings and incentive travel, as well as stopover travel on long haul flights between Asia and Europe or the Americas.

The promotional roadshow is a new initiative launched by QTA to promote Qatar as a premier business and upscale leisure destination to MICE (meetings, incentive, convention, exhibitions) professionals, said a top official. 

'Qatar and Asia enjoy a friendly alliance which is strengthened through strong business relationships and strategic partnerships. We are partners in business and in trade, with both our private and public sectors making mutual investments in each other – from energy to shipbuilding, and real estate to infrastructure,' remarked Ahmed Al Nuaimi, chairman of QTA.

'Our partnerships are based on a long-term vision for sustainable economic development. QTA’s tourism roadshow aims to build on these business partnerships, boosting tourism between Asia and Qatar,' he added.

On its future plans, Al Nuaimi said Qatar was planning to boost its presence in the Asian market through participation in annual exhibitions and other tourism exchanges, which reflects the importance of attracting this market for inbound tourism.

The campaign in Asia will is well timed as it takes place a few months ahead of the Asian Cup 2011, which is due to be held in January in Doha, allowing visitors to schedule their travel itinerary well in advance, he stated.

To further this promotional campaign, each of these cities has daily direct flights on national carrier, Qatar Airways, Al Nuaimi added.

According to him, Qatar has made significant investments domestically and internationally to encourage cultural, sport, and leisure tourism to complement business tourism industry in the country.

'Qatar has made significant investments to develop its tourism infrastructure over a 5 year period, including the construction of new hotels, resorts and other tourism facilities,' he noted.

He pointed out that the country was hosting venue for many international sporting championships in tennis, golf, athletics and football.

'The iconic Museum of Islamic Art, designed by I.M. Pei, has put capital Doha firmly on the culture scene in the Middle East. Other major projects in the pipeline include the 40,000 sq m Qatar National Convention Centre and the New Doha International Airport, which on completion will be able to handle 50 million passengers,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service