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The Qatar Travel Mart (QTM) 2021, held from 16th to 18th November had drawn large crowds and received an incredible response from sponsors, partners, and exhibitors.
The three-day event, arranged by NeXTfairs for Exhibitions and Conferences, ended on the 18th of November at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC).
During the event, country pavilions and tourism boards were eager to meet local and international industry experts. Exhibitors in particular were using B2B matchmaking tools to strengthen business relationships with other exhibitors and hosted buyers.
The first of its kind, QTM 2021, was held under the sponsorship of H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and its first two days drew a large number of support contributions from business sponsors and partners.
The influential three-day Conference was also fruitful, with sessions on ‘What the future holds for travel and tourism’, and ‘New developments and the recovery efforts of Qatar and the world’. A high-profile line-up of global travel and tourism experts, including Nigel Fell, President & CEO of The World Tourism Association for Culture and Heritage (WTACH), Philippe Francois, President of the World Association for Hospitality and Tourism Education and Training (AMFORHT), Dr Cristina Ortega Nuere, Chief Scientific and COO of the World Leisure Organization, Florian Sengstschmid, CEO of Azerbaijan Tourism Board, Emad Abu Jalala, CEO Gulf Adventures, Dr Ivan Ninov, Executive Dean of Al Rayyan International University College (ARIU), Sergey Sukhanov, CEO of Corporation Tourism, RF, JSC, Nuno Anahory, Chairman of Forum Portugal Qatar, Dr Sunny, Managing Director of Maldives Halal Travel Guide, Nick Wilkinson, Regional Vice-President of the Norwegian Cruise Line, Rick Enders, Cluster General Manager at JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha, H E Ridwan Hasan, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the State of Qatar, and Ariella Kageruka, Acting Chief Tourism Officer in Rwanda Tourist Board, and other keynote speakers shared insights and best practices during talks and panel discussions.
“The first two days of Qatar Travel Mart have been a huge success and we are delighted with the overwhelming positive response from sponsors and partners as well as exhibitors. Exhibitors are especially pleased with the number of deals that they have generated to boost their businesses and appreciated being able to interact with so many visitors who have attended our first show. QTM has demonstrated how it serves as a platform to attract industry peers and countries from all over the world. This year’s event has also signaled the resurgence of the industry and shone a spotlight on the development of travel and tourism in Qatar as we approach the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 next year. With the world’s economies showing signs of recovery post-pandemic, this is the perfect time for us to have launched QTM”, explained Raward Sleem, the Co-Founder and General Manager of NeXTfairs for Exhibitions and Conferences.
He also added, “Our B2B matchmaking platform has proved a great hit with exhibitors and hosted buyers and contributed significantly to their success. The media familiarization trip we organized for the international and national press has taken off with a bang with an agenda to showcase what Qatar has to offer, ranging from a city tour and Dhow boat trip on the water to a hot balloon ride in the air. We are delighted with the results so far establishing QTM as a significant milestone date in the tourism industry’s calendar moving forward”.
