Qatar is aiming to substantially increase its hotel room offering in 2010 as it embarks on a drive to turn the Gulf state into a major tourism destination.
Ahmed Abdullah Al Noaimi, chairman of the Qatar Tourism Authority said he expects the tourism sector to contribute generously to the country’s GDP within four to five years.
In an interview with Qatar News Agency, Al Noaimi said Qatar was currently establishing a strong tourism infrastructure.
He added that eight new hotels would be built in the country this year, providing up to 2,500 new rooms, bringing the total number of rooms in Qatar to more than 10,000.
Al Noaimi said the QTA was cooperating with the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) to establish a new system to calculate the tourism sector’s revenues, which he expected to come on line within two years.
Al Noaimi said the QTA would be launching a European tour by the end of February which would promote the country in cities including Madrid, Munich, Milan and Paris.
He added that a similar tour would follow to cover Asian countries and a third one to target the US.
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