Recession proof

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Among our major infrastructure projects now underway are the New Doha International Airport, scheduled to open in 2012, with an estimated 50 million passengers coming through once completed.

The development of Lusail, Qatar's largest single real estate development covering over 35 square kilometers, will accommodate up to 200,000 people, boasting a family-oriented Entertainment City.

Another iconic real estate development is The Pearl; an artificial island with five-star hotels, 16,000 villas and apartments, as well as 1,100 luxury boutiques. As Qatar is already a regional hub for conferences and exhibitions, two new centres totalling a capacity of 95,000 square metres will open in 2011 and 2012 : the Qatar National Convention Centre, part of the Qatar Foundation, and the Doha Exhibition Centre and Tower.

Do you usually get involved in developing tourist attractions such as hotels and resorts?

Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority has an active role in developing the standards of hospitality quality for all hotels and tourist establishments. Following the hotel regulations set up by Qatar Tourism and Exhibitions Authority in 2007, specific ratings for hotel offering particularly good facilities and services are now the core of QTEA's action to improve Qatari hospitality management.

We care to make everyone feel welcomed by the traditional Qatari hospitality. We recently signed a MoU with the Shafallah Centre for Children with Special Needs to set new standards for people with reduced mobility and special needs to be implemented in hotels.

The real estate boom influenced tourism in the region to a huge extent. How is the recession in the real estate sector now affecting tourism in Qatar?

Though the global economic and financial crisis has affected many countries in the region, Qatar has fared better than most. All the real estate projects in the tourism sector are ongoing, and with the decrease of the price of building materials, this appears to be beneficial.

Are there any new plans or strategies Qatar Tourism is adopting under the current financial crisis?

Our strategy has not changed due to the current economic climate. We launched it last November, when the economic downturn already started. We are not looking to attract mass-tourism, but rather a specific niche within the market. Catering to every tourism demographic would force us to lose our identity. Instead we have built our infrastructure to support a very specific demographic, namely business focused tourism and high-end leisure tourism.

In addition, during such a global economic climate, affluent travellers are reluctant to show off that they still can afford and enjoy luxury vacation. Cruises in the Gulf are still a niche market and these high-end travellers like to travel to original destinations, far from mass tourism.

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