Salwa Resort and Spa — the first hotel, resort and spa in Qatar attached to a theme park — is likely to open early next year, an official has said.

The new hotel which is located beside Aqua Park water park will be a fillip to tourist inflow to the country.

It will boost the number of visitors to Qatar’s first theme park, according to Mohamed Firdaus Raj, General Manager of Aqua Park Qatar.

“Ninety percent of the hotel is complete and interior work is set to start. It will have its soft opening by first or second quarter next year,” Raj told The Peninsula.

The hotel will provide a number of accommodation options as apart from more than 70 rooms, there will also be nine villas available at the property.

The main feature of the hotel, however, is the spa, he explained.

Offering a fresh concept which is not yet present in Qatar’s hospitality sector, the soon-to-open property is set to boost the number of visitors to the water park as well and encourage tourists coming from neighbouring countries to stay longer.

Majority of the GCC tourists coming to the water park are Saudis who mostly visit Qatar during the Eid holidays and the summer festival, he said.

Raj was speaking to this daily at an event to introduce the brand new Stingray Surf Machine — a first-of-its-kind ride in Qatar which provides a unique and exhilarating experience to surfing enthusiasts. It brings the total number of attractions at the park to 15 and is expected to further boost the number of its visitors.

The hotel complements the park and the park complements the hotel. Whoever will stay in the hotel will get free access to the park on top of special packages to be offered by the hotel,” Raj added.

“It is the first resort hotel and spa in Qatar connected to a theme park and this will be its unique selling point,” he explained.

Since the park opened six years ago, the number of visitors each season has not seen significant fluctuations mainly due to the country’s small population, he said.

“We opened in October 2010, and now it is our sixth season. Because Qatar’s population is not huge, the trend is quite stable. The number of visitors ranges between 150,000 and 180,000 every season which lasts eight months from April to November. This is a good number considering our type of market.

“We are not worried with the number. It looks strong and I think if we continue developing, we will achieve better numbers and Qatar Tourism Authority’s initiative to promote Qatar as a leading destination will help,” he added.

Asked on plans to expand the park, Raj said: “We have expansion plans but nothing is concrete yet. We hope to start by next year and have it ready by 2019.” (Source / Image)

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