Representatives of Qatar’s business events industry introduced their counterparts in the UK to opportunities in the country at a networking event hosted by Qatar Tourism Authority at the Hyatt Regency, London.

Representatives included Qatar Airways, Qatar National Convention Centre, Sheraton Doha and Qatar International Adventures. Together they presented Qatar’s business events facilities and tourism offerings to professional conference organizers and event planners in the UK, Qatar’s largest source market in Europe.

Addressing attendees, Hamad Al Abdan, Director of Exhibitions at QTA, said “Qatar’s deep-rooted ties with the United Kingdom are well known, not only through investments but also with partnerships between our education and energy institutions. In addition, the UK ranks as Qatar’s largest European visitor source market by a substantial margin, accounting for more than 30% of all visitors from the continent.”

Al Abdan added that QTA will be inviting 10 representatives of the UK’s MICE industry to Qatar to witness the country’s potential first hand.

The networking event follows on the heels from the World Travel Market, where Qatar stepped up its efforts to target UK trade members of the tourism industry as well as consumers. British tourist numbers have grown steadily over the past few years, reaching more than 135,000 in 2014. The number of British tour operators featuring Qatar has increased from 17 in 2012 to 45 this year.

It is estimated that business tourists currently comprise the majority of visitors to the country, which has witnessed a substantial increase in activity in the business meeting and exhibition sector, averaging 150 events a year. QTA’s strategy is to triple the number of business tourists by 2030.

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QNE

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