atar tourism author-ity, Qatar airways and Qatar’s Ministry of Interior announced a revised tour-ism visa scheme available to passengers transiting through Doha in a move to promote

Qatar as a world-class stopover destination. the new transit visa structure now allows

passengers with a minimum transit time of five hours in Hamad International airport, to stay in Qatar for up to 96 hours (four days), without the requirement to apply ahead of time for an entry visa.

this is a significant increase from the previous transit visa scheme, which allowed travellers with a minimum layover of eight hours to spend a maximum of 48 hours (two days) in Qatar. this increase is designed to make stopovers easier and more attractive to Qatar airways’ global passengers, and aims to deliver additional value to the local economy

while strengthening Qatar’s position as an attractive tourist destination.

the Qatar transit visa is free of charge and available on arrival at Hamad International airport to passengers of all nationalities, upon confirmation of onward journey and completion of passport control procedures. all visas are approved and issued at the sole discretion of the Ministry of Interior.

Qatar airways Group Chief Executive akbar al Baker said: “Qatar airways serves millions of people from around the world as they journey across our network of more than 150 destinations. Whether travelling for business or leisure, we want to enrich the journey of all of our passengers and are restructuring our fares to reflect this initiative and to promote stopovers to travellers.

“We are excited to offer our passengers the opportunity to taste the cultural highlights that the city of Doha and the State of Qatar have to offer. We are thankful to the Ministry

of Interior and the Qatar tourism authority for helping us to create a journey that includes discovering Qatar, an experience that will stay in their hearts and minds forever.”

Last week, officials announced a new process to quicken the entry of tourists arriving on board cruise ships, and earlier, representatives signed an agreement with VFS Global, which will see the development of a new, faster and more transparent tourist visa application mechanism.

UNWtO Secretary-General taleb rifai commended Qatar on its rapid advancement in this area. “Promoting visa facilitation is a priority for tourism development worldwide and a key element in the competitiveness of tourism destinations. We congratulate Qatar for announcing, very auspiciously on the occasion of the World tourism Day, a new milestone change in the country’s transit visa scheme,” he said.

Director-General of the General Directorate

of Nationality, Borders and Expatriates affairs in the Ministry of Interior, Brigadier abdullah Salim al ali, said: “the Ministry of Interior strives to support the country’s growth and development, while maintaining security for all visitors and residents. We are pleased to further facilitate the movement of the 30 million passengers who pass through Hamad International airport every year. We welcome them to spend time in Doha and discover Qatari hospitality.”

Qatar tourism authority’s Chief tourism Development Officer Hassan al Ibrahim said: “By offering an enhanced transit visa to passengers travelling through Hamad International airport, Qatar is providing its visitors a welcoming experience from the moment their planes touch down in Doha until they begin their onward journeys to their final destinations. and, as we celebrate World tourism Day’s tourism for all theme, we are delighted to make Qatar more accessible to

people from around the world and invite them to discover our country, our cultural heritage and our natural treasures.”

the introduction of a new transit visa scheme is also a step towards positioning Doha as a turn-around port for cruise ships, al Ibrahim added, noting that in the near future international cruise passengers could fly to Qatar, enter using a transit visa, and begin and end their cruise in Doha.

“this will increase the length of stay in Qatar of a growing segment of visitors, and allow them to further explore our country’s tourism offering, while increasing the economic impact of cruise tourism,” he commented.

to maximise on their transit through Qatar, visitors can explore Discover Qatar stopover packages offered by Qatar airways Holidays. these include, desert safaris, city tours, visits to Katara Cultural Village, Souq Waqif and the Pearl-Qatar island, museum and art gallery visits, architectural tours, and hotel bookings.

New transit visa rules make entry into the country easier

Special Supplement WEDNESDAY 19 OCTObEr 2016

Travel & TourismThe Pearl-Qatar

redefineshospitality…

QA to buy 100 Boeing planes for $18.6bn

PAGE | 5 PAGE | 6-7

Main SponSorMain SponSor

HOSPITALITYQATAR 201618-20 OCTObEr | 3 .00pm-9.00pm

By Raynald Rivera the peninsula

MINIStEr of Econ-omy and Commerce H E Sheikh ahmed bin Jassim al thani inaugurated Hos-pitality Qatar 2016

yesterday at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC).

the expo which runs until tomor-row provides the ideal forum for Hotel/restaurant/Café (HOrECa) suppli-ers, hoteliers, buyers, and investors to highlight their newest products and exchange expertise with profession-als in the hospitality sector.

the Minister underscored the vital role the hospitality and tourism sec-tor plays in the Qatari economy. “We have witnessed during the past few years, the development of tourism and hospitality sectors. that development was driven by the huge interest that the state of Qatar has expressed towards this sector, and that was reflected in the National Strategy for the tourism sector 2030. the strategy was set to be

adapted as a roadmap towards devel-oping the tourism industry during the next decades, and transforming Qatar into an international touristic destina-tion proud of its cultural roots”, he said.

rashed Nassir Sraiya al Kaabi, Vice-Chairman of al Sraiya Holding Group, said: “the exhibition features all aspects of the hotel and franchise mar-ket in the Gulf region. We would like to thank all participants who have helped make this event a success, achieving its mission in providing regional and international agents, dealers and buy-ers the opportunity to network in a suitable, professional environment.”

George ayache, General Manager of IFP Qatar, organizers of the show, said: “During its two editions, Hospital-ity Qatar has proved its role as Qatar’s leading hospitality exhibition, bring-ing together a large number of local, regional and international decision makers and industry professionals. the main reason for the success of this event is the continuous support of the Government of Qatar which played a major role in putting together this memorable event.”

Hospitality Qatar 2016 has attracted a record level of interest and

Minister opens Hospitality Qatar expo

minister of economy and commerce H e Sheikh ahmed bin Jassim al thani and other officials tour at Hospitality Qatar 2016 under way at the Doha exhibition and convention center, yesterday. pics: Baher amin / The peninsula

The expo which runs until tomorrow provides the ideal forum for Hotel/Restaurant/Café (HORECA) suppliers, hoteliers, buyers, and investors to highlight their newest products and exchange expertise with professionals in the hospitality sector.

participation from across the industry with more than 10 countries partic-ipating, and hundreds of exhibitors and brands. Some of the hospital-ity-related disciplines present at this year’s show include retail investors and businesspersons.

Hospitality Qatar 2016 plays a major role in enhancing the role of Qatar as a major player in the hospitality invest-ment market in the MENa region. With a broad array of pavilions, workshops, and B2B networking sessions taking place, exhibitors are putting the newest products and technological advancements in the hospitality sector on display at the show.

In addition to the trade show, Salon Culinaire is in full-swing with more than 250 chefs competing to receive top honours in one of the 17 categories, live and on display for show visitors to experience. this year’ show also has a dedicated networking mobile app that brings buyers and sellers together.

Q

CHAIRMANSheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDr. Khalid Mubarak Al-Shafi

ACTING MANAGING EDITORMohammed Salim Mohamed

SupplEMENT COORDINATORAhmed Eltigani Idris

2

DESIGNAbraham Augusthy

pRODuCTIONViswanath Sarma

IMAGE pROCESSINGMohd Sajad Sahir

TypesettingDeepak John

OOredOO Qatar’s Chief Operating Officer Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi has collected the trophy for ‘Best Operator Network’ on behalf of the company at the 2016 Telecom World Middle east Awards.

The gala event was held in dubai, and was attended by several officials from Ooredoo, including mem-bers of Ooredoo Kuwait and Ooredoo Oman. Al Kubaisi said: “The Ooredoo Supernet was launched to improve every aspect of our network services and ensure that our customers have access to the fast-est speeds available.

“We’ve invested heavily in launching world-class services such as 1Gbps Fibre and expanding and 4G+ network across Qatar. The award demonstrates our commitment and progress towards our vision and we plan to continue upgrading our Supernet until everyone in Qatar has access to its superior speeds.”

Ooredoo Qatar was awarded the Best Operator Network by a panel of judges assembled by Terra-pinn, the organisers of the annual Telecoms World Middle east Conference and Awards.

The ‘Best Operator Network’ award recognises the telecommunications operator that has launched a new network or made significant improvements to its network since April 2015. The Ooredoo Supernet launched in August 2015 enhances every aspects of the company’s offerings — mobile, fixed broadband Internet — and provide customers with the strongest and latest technology.

Qatar has become one of 10 countries in the world to launch 1Gbps fibre, alongside a host of regional firsts from Ooredoo, such as adding the new Cate-gory 9 LTe-Advanced standard to its mobile network, bringing multiple 4G frequencies together to support download speeds of up to 325Mbps for its customers.

The awards recognise outstanding performance in key areas in the Middle east telecom industry and highlight key players that have contributed to mak-ing the sector one of the most dynamic globally.

2016 PeoPle’s ChoiCe stevie AwArdsMeanwhile, Ooredoo was also awarded the 2016

People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Telecommunica-tions. A global public vote was conducted over the summer, with the highest number of votes decid-ing the “people’s choice” winners across a range of industries. More than 33,000 votes were cast over-all, with Ooredoo Qatar receiving the most votes for the Telecommunications category.

Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, director, Community and Public relations, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “receiving this award is a great honour for Ooredoo, as it was voted for by the people and because we triumphed against international competition. This award is confirmation that our dedication to our users, country and services is working. Our thanks go out to everyone who voted.”

The People’s Choice Stevie Awards will be pre-sented to winners at The International Business Awards banquet on October 21 in rome, Italy. Ooredoo is also nominated for other significant awards at the event, including ‘Social Media Campaign of the Year’ for the Supernet campaign and ‘Telecommunications Company of the Year’. This is the latest in a series of high-profile awards for Ooredoo, with the Chief executive Officer, Waleed Mohamed ebrahim Al Sayed, most recently receiving the ‘Telecoms CeO of the Year’ at the CeO Middle east Awards. The 2016 People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favourite Com-panies, is a highlight award in The International Business Awards, the world’s only international, all-encompassing business awards program which is now in its 13th year.

A NeW update has been made to Ooredoo App to allow any Hala or Shahry user in Qatar to access the service. Previously, customers with a smartphone would have to register to use the service, and only

the QId holder could take advan-tage of self-services via the app.

Now, everyone in Qatar with a Hala or Shahry number can log into the app to see their balance or allowance, top up accounts or subscribe to add-ons. All Hala purchases will be deducted from the user’s credit immediately, and Shahry customers will have the amount added to their monthly bills. Customers can access their accounts by clicking ‘My Number’ tab on the app’s home screen, enter their mobile number and the verification code that will be sent via SMS.

For business customers, the new feature will enable employ-ees to access accounts quickly and easily. All Hala Business number holders will be able to see their balance, and subscribe to add-ons up to the value of their Hala credit balance. Shahry business account holders will be able to see their remaining balance and can request subscriptions to services such as monthly data packs via their Account Manager.

The new feature aims to ensure every Ooredoo customer with an iOS or Android phone can enjoy benefits of the app. App users logged in via ‘My Number’ tab can also take advantage of the new passport companion fea-ture which enables customers to instantly see their remaining Pass-port balance, standard roaming rates for calling and messaging in the country they are visiting and the networks compatible with the Ooredoo Passport.

All Ooredoo mobile customers can log-in to its app

Ooredoo bags Best Operator Network award

Ooredoo Qatar’s Chief Operating Officer Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi (second left) receiving the award at the gala event in Dubai

MOre people in Qatar are using their smart devices to play games and enjoy mobile entertainment, with Ooredoo report-ing the highest-ever level of traffic on

its Gaming Portal in 2016. driven by the increas-ing penetration of smartphones plus the growing speed, coverage and capacity of the Ooredoo Super-net, Qatar is emerging as one of the leading markets in the region for online entertainment. Gaming has expanded beyond the traditional audience

demographic of teenagers and young people, and now includes people from all walks of life, accord-ing to Ooredoo’s research.

The Ooredoo Gaming Portal, which was launched in February 2015, has been designed with Nazara Technologies to enable Qatar’s smartphone users to play games whenever they want. It offers sub-scribers the ability to download and play unlimited games on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

Once subscribed, customers can download games

onto their devices or play online without having to pay for individual games. This ‘buffet’ style of gam-ing has proven popular with Qatar users, as people look to try out the latest games without having to purchase every download.

Subscriptions start at just Qr 2 per day for a recurring daily subscription. The Ooredoo Gam-ing portal includes more than 500 games, including genres such as puzzles, sports, racing, arcade & action and strategy.

In the news

Ooredoo launches ‘hala Business International’

OOredOO has announced the launch of Hala Business Interna-tional, the company’s best value Hala bundles for businesses in Qatar that need to maintain effective cost control while they conduct their international business. Hala Business Interna-

tional plans offer a basic bundle of key services, including international call minutes and local data. When the monthly allowances are used up, employees have the freedom to top-up directly, or subscribe to addi-tional services – with no additional costs for the employer.

Yousuf Al-Kubaisi, Chief Operating Officer, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “We believe that communication services should be reliable, affordable and help businesses to grow. Our new Hala Business International plans have been designed to provide all the communication services an employee could need, while removing any possibility of bill shock for the employer. We believe this offers the best of both worlds for companies in Qatar.”

Hala Business was launched in 2014, and has proven to be one of the most popular mobile services offered by Ooredoo. The service was designed to cater for companies looking for affordable, fixed-price communication bundles that not only offer the flexibility of enabling employees to top-up allowances at their own cost, but ensure that employers enjoy cost pre-dictability and control.

With the new Hala Business International plans, businesses will have a new range of bundles that can keep employees connected globally, whilst retaining the cost control and flexibility that the Hala Business portfolio offers. Companies can even manage mobile billing directly, even though all SIMS will be registered in the names of employees.

Hala Business International bundles start from Qr 80 per month for 200 local minutes, 60 international minutes and 500MB local data. Other denominations include Qr 150, Qr 200, Qr 325, Qr 525 and Qr 825, which includes unlimited local and 3,200 international min-utes, unlimited local data, 6GB roaming GCC data and 300 minutes for incoming roaming calls. On top of the great value bundles, out-of-bundle local call rates for employees are charged at Qr 0.10/min to Ooredoo and other networks. employees can check their balance by dial-ling *129*10# at any time. employers and employees can also pay to add popular Ooredoo subscriptions to the monthly bundles, including Mobile Internet Packs, Hala International Packs and the Ooredoo Passports.

Ooredoo backs UCI Road world Championships

OOredOO was the National Telecommunication Partner of the road World Championships, which took place in Qatar from October 9 to 16. The 2016 road World Championship has been organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) doha, and

hosted around 1,000 racers from 75 countries, and more than 5,700 par-ticipants from national federations, delegations, and media outlets. As well as competitors and the media, around 30,000 cycling fans attended the highly anticipated events, which spread across the country.

Talking about the sponsorship, Waleed Al Sayed, Chief executive Officer, Ooredoo, said: “We encourage everyone to make sure they cheer on the athletes and show we are a country that cares about sport. Ooredoo is extremely proud to help provide communication needs to the athletes and visitors for this event. This is the latest example of support for sport-ing events from Ooredoo in 2016, as the company continues to promote healthy living, and inspire children to take up sports. So far this year Ooredoo has provided support for The 2016 rio Olympic Games, FINA/airweave Swimming World Cup, hosted the Ooredoo Marathon and more.

Ooredoo gaming portal sees surge in traffic

App users logged in via ‘My Number’ tab can also take advantage of the new passport companion feature which enables customers to instantly see their remaining Passport balance, standard roaming rates for calling and messaging in the country they are visiting and the networks compatible with the Ooredoo Passport.

4

Katara Hospitality, the global hotel developer, owner and operator based in Qatar, has been named the ‘Hospitality Company of the Year’

within the arabian Business Qatar awards 2016.

the award was presented to Salem al Kubaisi, Chief Corporate Services Officer at Katara Hospitality, on behalf of Katara Hospitality at the arabian Business awarding ceremony, held at the Westin Doha Hotel & Spa on 27th September 2016.

“this continued recognition highlights and reinforces our mission to invest in and develop some of the world’s most luxurious properties. We are proud to have been awarded Hospitality Company of the Year by arabian Business, and we will continue on our journey to strive for hospitality excellence as we progress with our regional and global expansion”, said Hamad abdulla al-Mulla, Chief Executive Office at Katara Hospitality.

“Under the leadership of Sheikh Nawaf bin Jassim bin Jabor al thani, Chairman of Katara Hospitality, this award merits our achievements on a global and national level and the investments we make into iconic heritage properties that continue to highlight Qatar as a growing luxury and lifestyle destination.”

the arabian Business awards Qatar is a premier event in the regional business calendar, which consistently attracts and honours the biggest names

in the Gulf business community. Each year, the awards celebrate the very best in business achievement, both on a corporate and individual level.

About Katara Hospitality: Katara Hospitality is a global

hotel owner, developer and operator, based in Qatar. With more than 45 years’ experience in the industry, Katara Hospitality actively pursues its strategic expansion plans by investing in peerless hotels in Qatar while growing its collection of iconic properties in key international markets. Katara Hospitality’s portfolio has grown to include 34 owned and / or managed hotels and the company is now focused on achieving its target of 60 hotels in its portfolio by 2026. as the country’s flagship hospitality organisation, Katara Hospitality supports Qatar’s long term economic vision.

Katara Hospitality currently owns properties spread across three continents in Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Singapore and thailand. While it partners with some of the finest hotel management companies, Katara Hospitality operates owned and non-owned hotels through its standalone operating arm, Murwab Hotel Group.

Katara Hospitality has gained global recognition for its contributions to the Qatari and international hospitality landscape, through numerous prestigious accolades from the industry.

Katara Hospitality wins ‘Hospitality Company of the Year’ award

Salem Al Kubaisi, Chief Corporate Services Officer at Katara Hospitality, receiving the award on behalf of Katara Hospitality.

A night view inside the Katara. Pix: Kammutty VP / The Peninsula

3rd annual Katara European Jazz Festival from Nov 2

MUrWaB Hotel Group, Katara Hospitality’s operating arm, has unveiled the legendary Hotel royal Savoy Lausanne in Switzerland, in a grand

opening ceremony signifying the hotel’s offi-cial opening after an ambitious remodelling exercise that restored the hotel to its historic aesthetic charm.

Under the patronage of Sheikh Nawaf bin Jassim bin Jabor al thani, Chairman of Katara Hospitality, Hotel royal Savoy Lausanne hosted over 500 highly esteemed guests, in the pres-ence of Qatar’s ambassador

Dr. Mubarak Kleefiefh K alhajri; Pierre antoine Hildbrand, representative of the city of Lausanne; Hamad abdullah al Mulla, CEO of Katara Hospitality; Bruno Schpِfer, Managing Director of the Bürgenstock Selection and Katara Hospitality Switzerland aG; state counsellors and officials from Switzerland.

Sheikh Nawaf said: “We are honoured to witness the official reopening of Hotel royal Savoy Lausanne, as it revives the property’s prestigious past while marking a new step forward in the region’s long tradition of hospitality. “Katara Hospitality is globally renowned for creating landmark hospitality gems that enhance the tourism landscape in

the markets we operate, and such a momentous occasion further illustrates our continued success within the global luxury tourism sector.”

al Mulla said: “the legendary Hotel royal Savoy Lausanne epitomises the opulence and impeccable service standards characteristic of Swiss hospitality. It is Katara Hospitality’s distinguished pleasure to unveil a beautifully restored historical building and luxury hotel, which adds to the cosmopolitan allure of the city of Lausanne, while appealing to the tastes of our esteemed guests.”

In line with Katara Hospitality’s mission to preserve the heritage of iconic hotels around the world, Hotel royal Savoy Lausanne, located in the heart of the city of Lausanne and overlooking Lac Lèman, recently underwent a multi-million-dollar extensive yet masterful redesign.

the iconic hotel is the second hotel to open

under the Bürgenstock Selection, a collection of luxurious hotels which fall under Murwab Hotel Group, the standalone operating arm of Katara Hospitality which manages an international collection of boutique upscale hotels and brands offering contemporary hospitality steeped in cultural heritage.

a supreme splendour reminiscent of the reigning spirit and elegance of Swiss hospitality, the luxurious five-star property features 196 rooms and suites, the unique Sky terrace which offers a unique panoramic view of the city of Lausanne, Lake Geneva and the alps, as well as a host of facilities and services to enchant the most discerning of contemporary tastes. Instantly recognisable in the heart of the city of Lausanne, Hotel royal Savoy is a haven for tranquility, opulence and juxtaposition of art Noveau style of décor and contemporary design.

IN tHE presence of high-profile diplomats and large audience, the Drama theatre of the Cultural Village Foun-

dation-Katara recently hosted a show performed by the renowned Sri Lankan Cultural army troupe representing popular national dances from across the repub-lic of Sri Lanka.

the show started with a speech by W M Karunadasa, Sri Lankan ambassador to Qatar, who praised the cur-rent high-level bilateral ties between the two friendly countries, especially on the cultural field. the ambassador also gifted a memorial shield to the General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al Sulaiti, and expressed gratitude to their excellences ambassador Ibrahim Yousif Fakhroo, Director of the Department of Pro-tocol, and the Head of the Cultural research and Studies Department of the Ministry of Culture and Sports Faleh al Hajri.

With their elaborate and colourful cos-tumes, 20 male and female performers took the centrestage for two hours presenting a stun-ning musical display and reflecting the rich cultural diversity of Sri Lanka. the multicul-tural performance by the Sri Lankan Cultural army troupe also included the highly-sophisti-cated and refined “tea Dance”, which is usually performed during the tea harvesting season and festivals in a country that produces some

of the world’s best global quality tea brands in the markets.

the multicultural show also thrilled audi-ences with several other performances inspired by some rich cultures such as Egypt and Spain, demonstrating the authenticity of the golden old say: Music is a universal language that rec-ognises no borders or limitations.

the Sri Lankan army Cultural troupe was first founded 25 years ago and has performed in many countries across the world such as australia, the US, France, Italy, the UK, China, Malaysia, and thailand.

the Katara hosting of the Sri Lankan show comes in line with its message, vision and efforts seeking to turn the Cultural Village Foundation into a vibrant platform and pow-erhouse that unite the cultures of the world and embrace the diversity of human devel-opment, through bringing people together to share their cultural and artistic experiences, and gain a better understanding about each other in a peaceful and civilised atmosphere.

Sri Lankan culture & music at Katara

NINE embassies have joined hands with Katara to stage the third annual Katara European Jazz Festival slated from November 2 to 7 at Katara Building 5. the Cultural Village Foundation-Katara signed a cooperation agreement with European missions namely

France, Spain, Germany, austria, Switzerland and Italy along with embassies of Portugal, Poland and Bulgaria which are participating for the first time.

On its third edition, the six-day festival will bring to Doha one jazz group representing each of the participating countries to feature at evening shows. atom String Quartet and three Fall are among the renowned international bands expected to hold concerts at the festival. running along the festival per-formances are several workshops with local music students to be held at Qatar Music academy. the ambassadors of the participating embassies and Katara General Manager Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim al Sulaiti signed the agreement.

With nine embassies taking part, this will be the biggest among the three editions of the festival hosted by Katara in line with its strategy of bringing cul-tures together. the first two editions of the festival attracted a huge turnout of people from various cultures and all walks of life. “We exude hope that this year’s edition will grab a significant turnout of attendees’ similar other events that have been hosted and organized by the Cultural Village. Hosting similar events stresses Katara’s vision of bringing cultures together,” said Dr al Sulaiti.

Speaking at a conference at the signing ceremony, Dr al Sulaiti stressed the importance of music as a language that connects people. “as we all know, music is an international genre that captivates different human senses and feelings, therefore, Katara as a cultural hub works to offer all kinds of musical culture as boundless human language to boost cultural ties and promote cultural partnerships,” he said. He thanked the embas-sies and Qatar airways for their invaluable contribution and continuous cooperation for the festival.

Katara Hospitality opens second Murwab-managed hotel Royal Savoy Lausanne in Switzerland

5

The Pearl-Qatar is a unique and innovative urban development in Doha, Qatar. A mas-terpiece of private and modern living on an

Island spanning over four million square-metres of land, The Pearl-Qatar offers a tailored range of residential products to meet the high-est of standards available in the Gulf.

Developed by United Development Company (UDC), this unique man-made island hosts a variety of Mediterra-nean themes within its 10 residential precincts. Furthermore, The Pearl-Qatar plays host to the latest retail and hospitality offerings from the world’s leading brands and restaurants boast-ing more than 150 F&B outlets, of which around 100 are currently operational.

THREE RETAIL DISTRICTS

On the retail front, The Pearl-Qatar has approximately 170,000 square metres of retail offerings spread across three distinguishable precincts, Porto Arabia, Medina Centrale and Qanat Quartier. Catering to fashion as well as food & beverage, the district of Porto Arabia successfully offers numerous globally recognized upscale retail stores and 60 operating dining outlets.

The bustling district of Medina Cen-trale, known fondly as the Town Centre of The Pearl-Qatar has a unique blend of residential, shopping and leisure experiences, boasting over 160 retail stores which currently include around 40 restaurants which are inviting to both casual and fine diners.

Also in the last quarter of 2016, UDC

will be launching Qanat Quartier as new retail destination hosting a selec-tion of retail outlets, artisan cafes and well sought-after F&B concepts. With its colourful Venetian character, wind-ing canals and arched bridges, Qanat Quartier is an enticing and very pop-ular residential district.

AL FRESCO DINING

You only need to look to the olden day traditions of souks, which are very much still thriving to this day, to realise

and understand that outdoor retailing has always been popular. For further evidence, one can look at the year over year growth of retailers joining the out-door retail experience being offered at The Pearl-Qatar.

As such, tourists and residents alike are presented with an abundant choice of al fresco dining experiences at The Pearl-Qatar.

GENUINE CONCEPTS

Genuine dining and coffee shop

concepts from around the world brand The Pearl-Qatar’s hospitality offerings with trendy outlets serving an eclectic mix of food and beverages with sig-nature creations across a variety of world cuisines including Oriental Cui-sine, european Cuisine, Asian Cuisine, American Cuisine and Latin Cuisine. This is how The Pearl-Qatar stands out from other retail locations in Qatar by curating popular brands and retail concepts that don’t currently exist else-where. For example, British favourite harry Ramsden, upmarket sandwich

concept Which Wich, seafood delight Sammach, American diner Black Rock Grill and Dip’n’Dip, - to name a few.

HOTELS

In addition to some boutique hotels set to take up residence in Qanat Quartier and other hotel projects which are being planned around the Island, Marsa Malaz Kempinski is undeniably the city’s most lavish hospitality des-tination, located on its own secluded islet in Marsa Malaz at The Pearl-Qatar,

offering bespoke dining and entertain-ment options for visitors and guests across 11 food and beverage outlets – an unprecedented number in Qatar.

A selection of six different types of restaurants serving an array of cuisines includes Levant-inspired recipes at Al Sufra, traditional Span-ish cuisine in el Faro, a blend of european and Mediterranean fla-vours from Sawa, as well as Pan Latin dining from Toro Toro, redefining Italian cuisine in Antica Pesa and Japanese fine-dining in Nozomi. In addition, there are two cafés, al fresco pool-side dining, a sophis-ticated lounge and an unparalleled rooftop lounge with large open-air terraces.

Today, The Pearl-Qatar has taken a life of its own, and is now Qatar’s fastest growing community. There is a sense of great pride when explor-ing what has been achieved in the past few years; many businesses are now flourishing thanks to the charm of the location and the great foot-fall it enjoys from residents, visitors and tourists.

Therefore, most certainly outdoor retailing and dining thrives when it goes hand-in-hand with alluring sur-roundings, to which The Pearl is ranked by far the most aesthetically pleasing location within Doha. The charisma of the marina at Porto Arabia, the lively entertainment value of Medina Centrale and the future prospects of stylish retail offerings amidst the colorful ambi-ence of Qanat Quartier, all bring to light that The Pearl-Qatar’s outdoor retail scene is thriving, and will con-tinue to thrive.

PORTO ARABIA

Cafe PoPtion oPtion — 18 La Croisette:

If you like popcorn – and you like it in as many different varieties as you can possibly imagine, then Poption Option is the place for you! You will certainly feel like a kid in a candy store as you enter this café with the many colorful options and flavors on offer. however it is not just popcorn, sit and relax in the café and order from their menu of sandwiches, salads, desserts and hot and cold beverages.

so Jennie — 1 La CroisetteAn upmarket sparkling beverage

store with products that are as pretty to look at as they are to drink! From a world of luxury bubbles, So Jennie embodies a new attitude of sophisti-cation and has the best flavor from the grapes combined to create the finest bubbles. Added bonus to the range, is knowing that the drinks are classed as being healthy due to them being alco-hol-free, sulphite-free, sugar-free and low in calories.

KaraK Mqanes — 23 La CroisetteRelax and enjoy the traditional

tea lounge that draws inspiration from the ancient Khaleeji traditions of the region. Steaming hot Karak

and delicious pastries and desserts are served at Karak Mqanes. Split into two parts, you can decide to dine in or alternatively head to the take-away outlet where you can choose from a whole separate menu. There is certainly nothing quite like kicking back with a steaming hot cup of Karak.

sabah W Masa — 16 La CroisetteThe core concept of Sabah W Masa

is to create a convenient place to be enjoyed by all whilst dining on well-known Lebanese cuisines. Serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner, the restaurant has a casual feel to it which draws you in and allows you to unwind. The outlet emphasizes on freshness, their ethos is to import directly as much Lebanese ingredients as possible to be used in their dishes.

MEDINA CENTRALE

ChoCoLate Coffee Lounge As the ideal place to relax, meet with

friends or spend time with the family Chocolate Coffee Lounge is the latest café offering on the Island. Alongside having over 60 tempting varieties of chocolates, Chocolate Coffee Lounge’s décor and ambiance is charming and very welcoming; the perfect atmos-phere to which you can easily spend hours in. Indulge in the finest coffee,

cakes, pastries and of course, luxury chocolate. With an excellent reputation for high quality products, Chocolate Coffee Lounge also offers gift ideas such as personalized items using their unique range of bespoke packaging.

MegaPoLis: a great PLaCefor indoor dining Megapolis entertainment center

is also the perfect destination when looking for variety in dining options. With an enhanced food and beverage service, Megapolis offers seven very different choices:

• Camille’s Ice Cream, offers hand-crafted frozen treats for both adults and kids using the highest quality ingredi-ents from around the world.

• Karaki You can never go wrong with a cup of delicious Arabic Karak at this cozy tea lounge which offers pastries, snacks and local delicacies comple-mented by ancient Khaleeji music and a soothing traditional ambience.

• Diner Station Discover the best of American fusion food at Diner Station all in a bright retro-futuristic welcom-ing setting.

• Earl of Sandwich, American sandwich concept offers popular light-bite options for those wanting a lighter meal and a wide choice of delicious fillings for the perfect sandwich.

• Cool de Sac, a unique concept which combines edutainment for children and gourmet dining for the parents. The venue is located next door to Megapolis!

• Saladworks, delivers the ultimate in health-conscious dining. With its trailblazing, sensational and ‘fanati-cally fresh’ salads, Saladworks offers a wide menu of flavorful salads and signature dressings.

• Sushi Bar, Sushi lovers will be spoilt for choice at Megapolis’ lively Sushi Bar that offers an extensive menu of both Japanese and western-style Sushi varieties.

QANAT QUARTIER

evergreen organiCsQatar’s first 100% vegan cafe

opened its doors with an emphasis on goodness, nutrition and health. evergreen Organics focuses on sea-sonal, local, organic food that is fresh, vibrant and full of energy. Their menu has been expertly designed to nourish,

heal and inspire and contains many gluten-free and sugar-free options. The restaurants juice cleansers, each have been personally created by the ‘Vegan Gangstas’ who ensure that the juices leave you feeling truly radiant. The ethos of evergreen Organics is not to compromise on quality by using only chemical free ingredients as well as carefully selected medicinal herbs and superfoods: Be healthy. Be Vibrant. Be evergreen.

attibassiAlready in residence is one of

Qatar’s favorite Italian coffee house Attibassi. Pleasantly situated by the canals, the Attibassi kiosk offers a fan-tastic place to unwind with great coffee and delicious café style quick-bites.

irresistibLeTo the delight of many - especially

those with a sweet tooth – the opening of Irresistible Café has been a much

welcomed funfair. Mouthwateringly tempting and all things chocolatey, Irre-sistible Café serves waffles, donuts, ice ice-cream, and much more. This is a place that you simply cannot say no to!

KaraK faCtoryFollowing on from these scrump-

tious desserts, what better beverage to wash it down with then that of a cup of karak from the candy colorful Karak Factory kiosk. Other than being the un-official national brew of Qatar, Karak is a most loved ‘pick-me-up’ of both Qataris and expats alike.

FryK’hIf on the other hand you crave

something a bit more filling, meaty and juicy, then the latest Arabic kiosk Fryk’h is right up your street - or should that be canal rather! Serving the likes of shawarmas and falafels as well as international dishes such as fajitas and steaks.

The Pearl-Qatar redefines hospitality…Al Fresco Dining, Boutique Hotels, Lavish Resorts and Genuine F&B Concepts from around the world

New F&B stores making their mark at The Pearl-Qatar

6 7

Finland will take your breath awayLook up to catch a glimpse of the beautiful northern lights dancing across Finland’s famous night sky. This magical experience alone will make your trip to Helsinki unforgettable. But there’s so much more to discover in this inspiring city. From stunning nature to year-round attractions and events, the reasons to visit Helsinki are simply endless.

Visit qatarairways.com

The Finnish capital of helsinki wel-comed the first Qatar Airways flight from Doha on October 10th, inau-gurating the new daily service that will connect helsinki to more than 150 destinations worldwide.

Qatar Airways Group Chief executive Akbar Al Baker and the Finnish Ambassador to Qatar, Riitta Swan travelled on board the inaugural flight and were greeted by a VIP delegation including Finland’s Minister of Transport and Communications, Anne Berner; the President and Chief executive Officer of Finavia, Kari Savolainen; the Chief executive Officer of Visit helsinki, Tuulikki Becker; and Finpro executive Vice-President, head of Visit Finland, Paavo Virkkunen.

To celebrate this special occasion the air-line flew one of its new-generation Airbus A350 aircraft to helsinki, and will operate the daily helsinki service with an Airbus A320 going forward. Qatar Airways’ Airbus A320 has a two-class configuration with 12 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in economy Class.

The launch of the new route to helsinki completes Qatar Airways’ network strategy of

Helsinki greets first Qatar Airways flight with a warm welcomeThe addition of Helsinki completes the airline’s Nordic cities network of Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen.

Left: finland’s Minister of transport and Communications Anne Berner welcomes Qatar Airways Group Chief executive Akbar Al Baker at Helsinki airport. RIGHt: Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight to finland receives a traditional water cannon salute upon arrival at Helsinki airport.

serving Nordic capitals, which currently includes Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo, and rein-forces its commitment to serving the people of Northern europe.

To support the new destination launch, the airline also announced a new code-share part-nership with Finnair, which was effective from October 10, expanding Qatar Airways’ presence

in the Baltic States and Nordic countries while strengthening Finnair’s network in the Middle east and beyond.

Al Baker said: “Launching our new route to helsinki is a proud moment for the airline, completing our strategy of serving the needs of europe’s Nordic capitals and facilitating con-nections for businesses, cultures and families

between Finns and people throughout the world. With this new service, the people of helsinki have convenient and world-class air service to more destinations, and we look forward to wel-coming our new customers on board.”

Finavia President and Chief executive Officer Kari Savolainen said: “We want to express our warmest welcome to Qatar Airways and its new route between helsinki and Doha. This is a fan-tastic addition to our selection of destinations and thanks to the route launch helsinki Air-port now has even better connections to the world. We ensure that our passengers enjoy their journey before and between their flights at the airport, selected as the best airport in Northern europe in 2016.”

Finpro executive Vice-President, head of Visit Finland, Paavo Virkkunen, said: “We are happy to welcome Qatar Airways with its glo-bal network to open access to Finland from markets that represent new growth potential to the Finnish travel industry. We believe that travellers from the Middle east and from other countries that have now become connected with Finland will find the fresh and pure Nordic nature a new kind of experience really worth exploring.”

Helsinki -Doha Flight Schedules

Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday Doha (DOh) to helsinki (heL) QR299 departs:

01:35 arrives: 08:10 helsinki (heL) to Doha (DOh) to QR300

departs: 10:55 arrives: 17:15Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday Doha (DOh) to helsinki (heL) QR301 departs:

08:15 arrives: 14:50 helsinki (heL) to Doha (DOh) QR302 departs:

17:45 arrives 00:05+1the first Qatar Airways flight to Helsinki was serviced by the airline’s new generation A350 aircraft.

QATAR Airways was awarded as the Best Business Class and Best Middle eastern Airline at the 2016 Business Traveller Awards which was held in London recently. The airline’s renowned high-quality service was once again recognised as it received the two

prestigious awards, presented by British author and broadcaster Ben Fogle. Qatar Airways offers Business Class passengers unrivalled com-fort in the air and on the ground. On board passengers can relax in seats that recline into fully lie-flat beds, enjoy the convenience of all aisle access seat-ing and an a la carte menu served on request by our award winning crew, and up to 3,000 entertainment options on individual television screens.

Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways Group Chief executive, said: “We are proud to have once again been recognised as the Best Business Class and Best Middle eastern Airline. These awards continue to demonstrate our commitment to provide our passengers with industry leading service, a modern fleet of aircraft and innovative products to provide our passengers with the very best journey.” Premium passengers have access to a range of luxury lounges such as the Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge in Doha, heathrow Premium Lounge and DXB Premium Lounge in Dubai, all of which offer a selection of fine dining options and world-class facilities.

The Best Airline Alliance was also presented to Oneworld, which Qatar Airways has been a member of since 2013. Qatar Airways recently accepted three separate accolades at the 2016 Skytrax World Airline Awards held at the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. Air travel-lers chose Qatar Airways as the World’s Best Business Class, Best Business Class Airline Lounge and the Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle east. The consumer-voted awards recognised the airline for its commitment to offering passengers an unrivalled travelling experience.

The airline has launched routes to Los Angeles (USA), Ras Al Khaimah (UAe), Sydney (Australia), Boston (USA), Birmingham (UK), Adelaide (Aus-tralia), Yerevan (Armenia), Atlanta (USA), Marrakech (Morocco), Pisa (Italy), Windhoek (Namibia).Service to helsinki (Finland) starts 10 October, with Krabi (Thailand) and Seychelles will follow later in the year.

Qatar Airways bags 2 prestigious awards

ATAR Airways has agreed to purchase as many as 100 Boe-ing aeroplanes for up to $18.6bn, the compa-nies jointly announced. Qatar Airways will buy 30 of the new-gener-ation Boeing 787 and

10 Boeing 777, both widebody aircraft, for $11.7 bn. Qatar Airways also signed a letter of intent to purchase up to 60 of the narrow-body Boeing 737 valued at about $6.9bn.

Qatar Airways Chief executive Akbar Al Baker said that the order was one of the largest in the country’s history and would help meet grow-ing demand for air travel. Al Baker acknowledged the decision to go with Boeing also was due to “ongoing issues” with Boeing rival Airbus.

“Boeing has started building aero-planes before everybody else,” Al Baker told a news conference in Washington attended by government officials from the US and Qatar. “They make the best aeroplanes, even if their competitors will not like me saying this.” The contract for the 737 marks the first time Qatar Airways has ordered single-aisle planes from Boeing in more than 15 years, the companies said.

“Our partnership with Qatar Airways has grown and strengthened tremen-dously over the years and I look forward to the time when its fleet will feature an increasing number of both our single and twin-aisle airplanes,” said Ray Conner, Chief executive of Boeing’s commercial airplane division. The companies did not release a time-frame for deliveries.

The high-profile event was attended by Qatar’s Minister of Finance h e Ali Sherif Al emadi, who is also the Chairman of Qatar Airways; Qatar’s Ambassador to the US, Mohammad Jaham Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and US Deputy Secretary of State, Tony Blinken.

The mega deal was the biggest con-tract inked in the airline’s 19-year history, said Al Baker. “Qatar Airways, already one of the fastest growing airlines in the history of aviation, announces a significant and historic aircraft order

QA to buy 100 Boeing planes for $18.6bn

that will power our future growth for the years and the decades ahead,” said Al Baker. “Boeing has proven to be a valuable partner, and today’s announce-ment is testament to our appreciation of the quality of their product and their dedication to providing world class cus-tomer service.” On relations with Boeing, Al Baker said that they were renewed in 2006. Since then, there have been many milestones in the partnership.

Qatar Airways was the first to oper-ate the 787 in the Middle east and is a launch customer for the 777X.

On the airline’s expansion in the US market, Al Baker said that the latter was one of the most important markets for Qatar Airways due to its diversity in terms of nationalities and destinations.

he highlighted that the strong com-petition in the market helped Qatar Airways maintain its edge, as the airline

has never finished below the top five ranking of best airlines over the past 10 years. Conner said that the part-nership between Qatar Airways and Boeing reflected the former’s confidence in Boeing’s new technology present in the 777X and 737 MAX. he added that the deal was a new milestone in the two companies’ partnership, high-lighting that it will provide 104,000 job opportunities in the US commercial aeroplanes industry. The order builds on the airline’s current fleet of 84 Boe-ing aircraft, a combination of 787s and 777s, all delivered over the last nine years. With this new order, Qatar Air-ways increases its firm order backlog of Boeing wide-body aeroplanes from 65 to 105, including 60 777Xs.

Qatar Airways Chief executive Akbar Al Baker and Ray Conner, President and CeO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, hold up commemorative certificates of purchase after announcing a deal for 100 Boeing aeroplanes, in an order worth $18.6bn, in Washington.

Q

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said that the order was one of the largest in the country’s history.

8

Qatar’s remarkable growth path is evident in its hotel, restaurant, and café sectors, as the market readies itself as a

tourism hub. Many sup-pliers, consultants, and international investors have taken notice and are now capitalising on the opportunities available in Qatar.

the trend is driving new levels of importance and record demand for Qatar’s largest hospitality trade exhi-bition, Hospitality Qatar 2016, which started at the state-of-the-art Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) yesterday.

One of the highlights of Qatar’s growth phase includes the need for more than 33,000 additional hotel rooms to be built prior to the FIFa World Cup 2022. at present, there are 26,653 hotel rooms in Qatar, with an anticipated need of 60,000. the added room capacity is also an integral part

of Qatar’s Vision 2030 to transform Qatar into a tourism hub.

the restaurant and Café industry has also been vibrant and is showing no signs of slowing. the latest reports from BMI research indicate the value of the Hotel, restaurant, and Café indus-try is more than $1.6bn (up 5.4 percent versus a year ago). the research antic-ipates this value will rise another 38 percent to $2.2bn by 2020. the growth is fuelled by increased investment as well as Qatar’s rising popularity as a destination, especially amongst GCC residents, namely those from saudi arabia.

the growth in the hotel & restaurant and café sectors is happening simul-taneously, staging a vibrant business environment for companies in the sup-ply chain. this has fuelled the response for the oversubscribed Hospitality Qatar 2016 exposition. Companies involved in the franchising, build-out, equip-ment supply, infrastructure, safety, or maintenance of hotels, restaurants and cafés are riding the wave of opportu-nity so unique to Qatar.

Key sponsors of Hospitality Qatar 2016, including al sraiya Hotels & Hos-pitality Group (diamond sponsor), askar

Industrial Co. (official kitchen sponsor), Boeker Qatar (associate and hygiene sponsor), Inox Kitchen Equipment (associate partner), americana (silver sponsor), Falcon technical & trading Company (registration sponsor), Haid-ari trading (fruit & vegetables sponsor), Felchlin, schapfen & Master Baker (cate-gory sponsors) and Nestle, Maggi, sadia & Us Meat Export Federation (live cook-ing sponsors) are all seeking to claim their share of rising HOrECa demand in Qatar and regionally.

associate sponsor, Inox Kitchen Equipment sees value in this event, with Mohammed solh, Executive Manager, saying: “this is our second participa-tion in the exhibition, and the reason we joined Hospitality Qatar is because it is the HOrECa platform for the industry where we can meet welcoming repre-sentatives of many 4 and 5 star hotels and restaurants.”

antoni Johnson, Founder and MD of Falcon technical & trading Company remarked on his company’s participa-tion in Hospitality Qatar 2016. “Having been a part of last year’s successful event, Falcon trading Company saw significant value in being a part of this year’s edition as well. We have found

Hospitality Qatar to be an excellent venue to meet industry pros and poten-tial customers.”

For the second consecutive year, askar Industrial Co secured the offi-cial kitchen sponsor. speaking on askar Industrial’s participation, Imad askar, Founder and MD, remarked “we have, once again, shown our commitment to Qatar’s culinary scene. It is the ideal way to put our fine kitchen products on display.”

Boecker, associate & hygiene spon-sor, spoke about their involvement and support of HQ. the Country Manager, Carla Ghaleb said: “We are the leading reference in public health, and it is our commitment to present our customers with innovative solutions in Pest Man-agement, Food safety and Biosecurity. Hospitality Qatar is a vital platform to share our newest practices and approaches. as Qatar is witnessing a substantial growth in hospitality sec-tor, Boecker is delighted to contribute to the growth of this industry through our yearly strategic partnership with HQ.”

the Qatar Hospitality exhibi-tion has shown an immediate track record of success with a 100 percent renewal rate of key sponsors as well as a higher-than-expected exhibitor turnout. speaking on the rising success of Hospitality Qatar, Project Manager, rawad sleem said: “this edition of HQ16 is already exceeding our lofty expecta-tions and appears to be fuelled by the strong growth in the building of hotels + HOrECa expansion in the country. Our unique blend of B2B match-ups and learning sessions has enabled HQ to become the premier show related to hospitality in Qatar. Hospitality Qatar is playing a vital role in helping Qatar be positioned not only as a connect-ing point, but a place to stay and enjoy with a lively hotel, restaurant and café scene.”

George Ayache (centre), General Manager, IFP Qatar, addressing the press conference in the presence of other officials at Intercontinental Doha-The City.

Hospitality sector offers opportunitiesQatar’s remarkable growth path is evident in its hotel, restaurant, and café sectors, as the market readies itself as a tourism hub. Many suppliers, consultants, and international investors have taken notice and are now capitalising on the opportunities available in Qatar.

The Restaurant and Café industry has also been vibrant and is showing no signs of slowing. The growth in the hotel & restaurant and café sectors is happening simultaneously, staging a vibrant business environment for companies in the supply chain.

tHE Qatari cuisine will be at the core of the second edition of Hos-pitality Qatar through the much-anticipated

salon Culinaire which will see more than 250 chefs compete in 17 categories.

shining the spotlight on the distinct flavours of the country’s cuisine aims at promoting the authentic local fare regionally, according to Chef Baran Yucel, Chairman, Qatar Culinary Pro-fessionals (QCP) association, which is co-organising the competition for the second consecutive year.

“We have added a few other cat-egories different from last year’s edition, including Qatari Feast to pro-mote Qatari food in the region,” Yucel told the Peninsula on the sidelines of the press conference to announce the launch of Hospitality Qatar 2016 at Intercontinental Doha-the City.

“this is the reason why we will invite four celebrity French chefs to combine international and Qatari food elements to attract the wider community,” he explained.

More than 250 chefs from five-, four- and three-star hotels and restaurants have confirmed participation in the competition in various categories, including ice carving; vegetable carving; mezza;

chocolate showpiece; novelty cake; five course set menu; and mocktail competition, among others.

“aside from Qatari Feast, other features of salon Culinaire include vegetable carving; ice carving; and

mezza, which will encourage young chefs to improve skills. It is a great platform for chefs to show skills and uncover hidden talents,” said Yucel.

With the success of the previous editions, he believes it is possible

for the culinary competition to go international in the future. “In the coming years, maybe, we can jump into the international level, however we are aiming at local chefs who work in Qatar now. salon Culinaire is a national

competition,’ he said. salon Culinaire will be a concurrent event which will run daily at Hospitality Qatar 2016 from 3pm to 9pm at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. registration is free.

Qatari cuisine at the core of Hospitality Qatar 2016

Qatar Culinary Professionals team up for Salon Culinaire.

132 exhibitors from 10 countries at expo

HOsPItalItY Qatar 2016, the 360° Hospitality and Hotel/restaurant/Café (HOrECa) show, witnessed an expanded second edition gathering of at least 132 exhibitors from 10 countries spread on a 7,500 sqm space at Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.

“the exhibition area grew by 2,000sqm compared to last year — from over 5,000sqm to 7,500sqm,” George ayache, General Manager of IFP Qatar, organisers of the show told the Peninsula recently at Inter-continental Doha-the City. this is the first time the show will be held at the DECC which is a bigger and more accessible venue expected to exceed last year’s 7,346 trade visitors from around the world.

Five countries will have their own national pavilions at the show including turkey, China, Kuwait, Pakistan and austria. Other partici-pating countries include Bahrain, Germany, Egypt, lebanon and Qatar.

licenced by the Qatar tourism authority (Qta), the event will be held under the patronage of Minister of Economy and Commerce H E sheikh ahmed bin Jassim al thani. among the prominent buyers which confirmed attendance are ali Bin ali — Hospitality, al Faisal Holding, Monoprix, sheraka Holding, Qatar Culinary Professionals, la Villa Hos-pitality, W hotel, Wyndham Grand regency Hotel, according to ayache.

“Hospitality Qatar 2016 represents Qatar’s largest exposition for HOrECa. these sectors are expanding at such a rapid rate that the inter-est in this year’s show has reached all-time high.

Our show represents the finest opportunity for buyers and sell-ers to meet and network. We give many thanks to H E sheikh ahmed bin Jassim al thani for his patronage and support. We also express our gratitude to our loyal sponsors and the new ones that have joined us for the first time this year,” said ayache “We have created our own Busi-ness-to-Business matchmaking platform to further develop exchange platform. With the help of B2B2GO, one of the world’s most prominent online platform developers, the B2B interactive online platform that will be launched at Hospitality Qatar will automatically match the needs of hospitality industry buyers with those of exhibiting suppliers,” he added.

the event will also feature workshops on key topics, including Qatar’s hotel and tourism market overview; hospitality’s role in achieving Qatar National Vision 2030; and grading and classification systems in hospi-tality, among others.

9

Qatar’s hospitality sec-tor has been ranked first among the Gulf Cooperation Council destinations in the Guest Experience in

the Middle East report, released at the arabian travel Market in april this year.

Qatar ranks sixth In the Middle East, says the report conducted by hospi-tality and travel data providers Olery. Qatar has witnessed an increase of two percent in its Guest Experience Index compared to the previous report.

the Index measures overall guest satisfaction by analysing different aspects of their tourist accommoda-tion experience, including service, location, cleanliness, room quality, and value for money.

In Qatar, hotel room quality and cleanliness were highly rated (85.7 and 87.2 respectively), placing the coun-try in the 2nd and 3rd ranks for these categories respectively. according to the ‘guest type’ category, Qatar’s tour-ist accommodation was particularly popular among business travellers,

couples, and groups of friends. the report monitored and analysed more than two million online guest reviews over the past 12 months (april 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016) from popular sites such as Booking.com and tripadvisor.

Hassan al Ibrahim, Qta’s Chief tourism Development Officer, said this news is particularly welcome as Qta continues to roll out its Hotel Grad-ing and Classification system, which incorporates guest experience data from Olery in its assessment of hotel establishments.

“We released the Hotel Grading and Classification system at the beginning of 2016 and have been delighted with how forthcoming hoteliers and developers are in working with Qta to implement the changes necessary to raise the sector’s overall standards,” he said.

“there is a mutual understanding that enhancing the hospitality sector is key to the success of the tourism industry as a whole, and taking guest experience into account is critical to this ongoing process of development and refinement.”

the new Hotel Grading and

Classification system, which aims to make hotel ratings more fair and transparent, was released after two months of testing and six months of development in collaboration with the local industry, hoteliers and international experts.

as the first part of the system’s roll

out, hoteliers are currently completing their self-assessments. Following this, Qta inspectors will be visiting hotels to verify the results, and to ensure they have either made the changes required of them, or have put into place an agreed schedule for addressing any deficits in facilities and services. Hotels that do

not make the needed improvements, or chose not to, will then be re-graded — this could involve them losing a star.

Meanwhile, the hospitality sector of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Qatar, is expected expand by an incredible 43 percent over the next five years. the market size of the hospitality sector is forecast to grow by $11.1bn to $36.7bn by 2020 from $25.6bn in 2015, said IDE Consulting services, the organiser of the 8th Hotelier summit, citing a research study conducted by alpen Capital.

the three-day event, which enters the Middle East for the first time, was held at the sheraton Hotel here last month. the summit, a part of the Hospitality series conducted by IDE, saw Qatar airways as its Official airline Partner and Colliers International as the knowledge Partner. Other supporters include aIa Middle East as associate Partner, Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) as sustainability Partner and Forbes Middle East as Business Magazine Leadership Partner.

“Qatar and the UaE will register a growth of 10 percent until 2020 due to Expo 2020 and 2022 FIFa World Cup respectively. saudi arabia, Kuwait and Oman are expected to record an average growth of 5-6 percent, according to the alpen Capital report. the growth of the

hospitality market in the Gulf is being discussed in details by global and regional experts at the 8th global edition of Hotelier summit,” said Ganesh Babu, Director - India & Middle East, IDE.

the summit provided an exciting business experience to all participants, as has attracted over 180 industry experts comprising leading hotel owners, operators, developers, architects, interior designers, consultants and service providers, making it a one-stop B2B platform for the Middle East hospitality industry. the event consisted of various seminars, focusing on the potentials and challenges in the hospitality sector in this region. Each section was being led by prominent industry figures hailing from different parts of the world.

“the summit is tackling the political instability in some markets in the Middle East and the falling demand vis-a-vis room supply which are two key factors putting pressure on occupancy and average daily rates,” he said.

“Challenges facing the regional hospitality industry are taking up a major chunk of our discussions during the summit, with the topics varying from the risk of an unbalanced supply demand market to the potential shortage of right human resources to manage the newly opened hotels and furnished apartments,” Babu added.

Qatar’s hospitality sector tops in guest satisfactionIn Qatar, hotel room quality and cleanliness were highly rated (85.7 and 87.2 respectively), placing the country in the 2nd and 3rd ranks for these categories respectively. According to the ‘guest type’ category, Qatar’s tourist accommodation was particularly popular among business travellers, couples, and groups of friends.

Doha’s culinary landscape getting better: QCP chief

tHE future for Qatar’s culi-nary industry has never looked better with numer-ous restaurant brands joining

the fray along with many hotels in the pipeline in the run-up to World Cup 2022.

as Qatar prepares for World Cup 2022 and as part of the country’s National tourism sector strat-egy 2030, Qatar tourism authority (Qta) has been in the forefront of

diversifying its tourism offerings which include the food sector with a number of initiatives such as the Qatar International Food Festival.

Qta has also been forging part-nerships with the private sector in this regard. the upcoming Hospitality Qatar 2016 - the three-day hotels, res-taurants, and cafes (HOrECa) event which is licensed by the Qta, is an added value to its drive to develop this important sector.

“Doha’s culinary landscape is get-ting bigger and better every year as new hotels, restaurants and brands are coming here. We are very excited about the brands, restaurants and chains which are continuously coming to Qatar,” Chef Baran Yucel, Chair-man of Qatar Culinary Professionals (QCP) said.

Chef Baran was speaking on the sidelines of a Chef’s table gathering in preparation for salon Culinaire 2016, which is the biggest culinary competition in the country and one of the much-anticipated features of the annual Hospitality Qatar organised by IFP Group from October 18 to 20 at Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre. For the second consecutive year, IFP has partnered with QCP in organising salon Culinaire.

the influx of many brands of

restaurants to the country signals a vibrant culinary scene and presents huge opportunities for culinary pro-fessionals. “For sure the coming of new brands to Qatar will affect the food tradition and habits in the country. and as Qatar’s population increases, the number of hotels and restaurants also rises which is good for us because it means opening more doors to culi-nary professionals,” said Chef Baran.

“Our profession is based on food and food and creativity will never end. the culinary world keeps get-ting bigger and bigger. the trend is changing; nourishment methods are showing progress and differences,” he added. as chairman of QCP, he expressed satisfaction of the strides made by the group in so short a time.

“QCP is a non-profit organization founded two years ago. Our com-munity is getting bigger every year. right now we have 450 professional chefs and 46 corporate members who are supporting us. Now we are rec-ognized and supported by Qta,” he said. Open to anyone who have pro-fessional culinary background, QCP is a professional chefs network which provides the platform for them to inter-act and share ideas on culinary trends.

“recently, we competed at the Glo-bal Chefs Challenge in Greece with

support from Qta and came back with very good results,” he said.

the three days of the event will feature guest speakers, local hospitality industry leaders, 17 culi-nary artist competitions including Qatari Feast Category to pro-mote the Qatari food which will encourage young chefs to improve their skills, highlighted by salon

Culinaire. QCP invited as well inter-national celebrity Chefs to do the 1st Qatar Culinary Master Class in HQ2016.

the salon Culinare is a heated battle where local chefs will go head to head to showcase their talents and it is a great platform for the Chefs to show their skills and uncover hid-den talents to an international field

of judges from World Chefs (formally known as WaCs) to win best chef hon-ours for their field.

In this 2nd annual Global Hos-pitality and HOrECa show in Qatar, Corporate Partners of QCP join as well as a sponsor of the show and some of them will have their booth to promote their products to the chefs, hoteliers and other suppliers/exhibitors.

QTA has been in the forefront of diversifying its tourism offerings which include the food sector with a number of initiatives such as the Qatar International Food Festival.

FITCO Holding Group was launched on Tuesday in the presence of a number of senior figures led by H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, Minister of Economy and Commerce, adding a new

chapter in the success of one of the leading national companies.

On the occasion, Khalid Mohammed Al-Buainain, Chairman of FITCO Holding, said: “We are pleased to announce the launch of FITCO Holding Group on the sidelines of the second edition of the Qatar hospitality Exhibi-tion, gaining a momentum to the string of the company successes since its establishment and launching a new phase of the company’s life.

“Our participation in this important exhi-bition which attracts hundreds of companies from around the world was aimed for finding local and worldwide agents and distributors for a number of our companies, particularly the ‘FITCO Detergent Factory’.”

Al Buainain said the exhibition provides multiple opportunities for participation and contact with different companies especially small and medium-sized enterprises who are keen to gain more experience and establish var-ious deals. He said there specialists from Gulf states as well as Qatari traders look forward to this Annual Global Hospitality and HORECA show, to showcase their services and products.

Al Buainain said that FITCO company was established recently and owns and operates a number of private companies that were estab-lished years ago and has a significant experience in the Qatari market .

Al-FurqAn InternAtIonAl trAde CompAny

Al-Furqan International Trade Company was founded in 1991, The company specialises in awarding international quality certificates and the (ISO certificates) and also prepares the organisational and functional structures of companies. It provides solutions for the financially ailing companies and performs the procedures that lead to the progress of commercial and industrial projects. This is in addition to preparing the approved feasi-bility studies in all the commercial and the industrial fields including all the necessary required licenses for the projects.

Al Furqan Company also offers economic solutions for the construction of 100 factories within the land allocated for the project areas which was created with economic designs. It also offers numerous models equipped with differ-ent areas that fit the requirements of the project during the implementation of these projects.

The company will provide at the Exhibi-tion pavillion a number of real estate projects that has been implemented to date.

dAnube For mAIntenAnCe

The company was founded in 1985 and spe-cialises in building finishing such as pigments and decorations, installing offloors, marble, gypsum and plaster work plus all works needed for other finishes.

FItCo detergent FACtory

Qatar’s liquid detergent factory was estab-lished in 2014. It is one of a ready-1 projects of Qatar Development Bank. The factory has five registered trademarks and is seeking to find marketing agents locally and internationally. The firm bagged the (ISO 14001) certificate in environmental requirements and (OHSAS 18001) Certificate in the field of security and safety.

FItCo FACtory For bAkerIes And Food produCts

It is under construction and in the final stages. The factory will cater to a wide range of food products.

FItCo FACtory For tIssue pAper

It is under construction and in final stages.

AlHAdAF CompAny InFormAtIon systems InC.

The company specialises in the areas of digital communications and Internet solutions, in addition to acting as advisers, counselors and agents for the production lines of the small and medium factories.

FItCo ContrACtIng CompAny

The company, founded in 1999, is engaged in the construction of factories and commer-cial complexes. The company has many of the existing projects in the industrial zone for estab-lishing 5 factories.

Al-FurqAn InternAtIonAl ContrACtIng Co.

AL-Furqan launched innovative ideas to build factories for the territories’ that has been allocated for projects in the economic zones. The company will exhibit a number of models in different sizes on an area of 1,000 square metres and an area of 2,000 square metres, and other models for other areas according of the requirements and the regulations estab-lished by the Economic Zones .

FItCo Contracting Company

The company was established in 2012 and specialises in the construction of villas and factories. It has many of existing projects in the Industrial Area and villas in Doha and Al Wakra areas.

tHe eduCAtIonAl teCHnology InC.

It is a language and educational center that was founded in 2002, It organises

scheduled training courses and has experience in specialised courses in languages and management.

Al Buainain said: “The good turn for the success of national companies always referred to the healthy environment provided by the State to ensure the success of companies and factories in the private sector and the support provided by the state through its various institutions.

“In this regard, we would like to thank and extend gratitude to Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for his continuous support and his sponsorship for national companies through the enactment of legislations and laws that are in the interest of national companies, and the patronage of Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani for holding exhibitions and important events in the country which lends momentum by giving it weightiness in the international forums.”

Al Buainain noted that FITCO Detergents Factory is one of the projects that have been implemented in collaboration with the Qatar Business Incubator Center (QBIC) and recently

have turned the project by Qatar Development Bank. In this regard, he said: “Qatar Development Bank empowers the entrepreneurs in the establishment and development of their companies by providing incubation and development, investment and connectivity with a team of professionals who have big aspirations and a mission to develop Qatari companies.”

Al Buainain added: “They are characterised by innovation, efficiency, and implementation and have a specialized team to provide support to local entrepreneurs through a set of global standards and services designed in cooperation with local and international experts. Their leading programmes, ‘Entrepreneurship Lean Management ‘ and ‘accelerating the growth of companies’ ensures fast, flexible application for providing the basic knowledge needed by the business in order to survive and succeed in the various stages of its life cycle.”

Al Buainain talked in length about the achievements of Qatar Development Bank and said: “Qatar support was provided by QDB who created the Ready Factories Project that carried

the establishment of 14 ready plant for a range of industrial food activities and was equipped with all the security and safety equipment. It was granted the necessary permits and is ready to work In order to invite all Qatari to take over these factories and start the work immediately within a concessional loan by the State support for the establishment of it. This is a call for Qatari seeking for excellence in the business world to become employers with ease and only a distinctive idea to create a successful project.“

Our participation in the exhibition has dual target represented in the launching of FITCO Holding and in providing a unique investment opportunities in Qatar and the Gulf countries in the field of commercial detergents . This is in addition to introducing FITCO project for the investment and building of the economic and logistical areas at every promotional and private prices.

We invite all the beneficiaries of the project of the logistics areas to take a closer look at the proposed models for the building with the cost-saving criteria.

FITCO Holding Group achieves a milestoneAccording to Khalid Mohammed Al-Buainain, Chairman of FITCO HoldingP The unlimited support by our state is behind the success of local companies. P Qatar Business Incubation Center plays a significant role in supporting state projects. P A total of 32 plants are ready by Qatar Development Bank in the field of plastic, chemical, wood and electronic industries. P A total of 14 Plants are ready by Qatar Development Bank for Food Industries to support the owners of the outstanding ideas.

Khalid Mohammed Al-Buainain, Chairman of FITCO Holding.

Range of services and products offered by FITCO Holding

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