Qatar’s annual global hospitality and HORECA trade show provides a platform to boost local market growth to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2022
November 5, 2019 – Under the Patronage of H.E. Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Hospitality Qatar, the annual global hospitality and HORECA trade show announced during a press conference held today the 5th edition of the event which will be held in partnership with the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) for the second time. The partnership is part of QNTC’s commitment to usher the global market with Qatar’s latest tourism developments and hospitality opportunities.
Hospitality Qatar has been playing a proactive role in supporting Qatar’s leading efforts to diversify the economy with the hospitality and tourism sector as one of the key drivers of growth and development. The country’s hospitality market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.1 per cent from 2019 to 2022 to reach USD 1.4 billion.
The event has been growing Year-on-Year (YoY) and has expanded to more than 100 per cent in terms of space this year to meet growing demand from local and global industry participants. It will provide a total of three halls to accommodate 220 exhibitors from 33 participating countries and seven international pavilions. The event will also introduce new features including certified trainings and dedicated exhibition zones.
Mr. Ahmed Al Obaidli, from QNTC, commented, “QNTC is committed to supporting business events such as exhibitions and conferences as key contributors to business tourism. And, we are pleased to support Hospitality Qatar once again, especially as we are working together this year to enrich the content of the conference and training sessions that are taking place on the sidelines of the exhibition. As part of our commitment to empowering members of the sector to enhance the visitor experience, we are hosting experts in customer experience and event management, and hope that visitors to Hospitality Qatar benefit from the training they will offer, whether they work in hospitality, destination management or events”
Mr. Haidar Mshaimesh, General Manager of IFP Qatar, the organizer of Hospitality Qatar, noted: “Hospitality Qatar is once again taking the sector to new heights with the upcoming 5th edition in partnership with QNTC to further strengthen the country’s tourism and hospitality sector. We commend the strong support of the government for providing us with the guidance to further attract investment and trade opportunities for the country.”
The event will provide a platform for a variety of events through the organization of a conference and training sessions accredited to the highest international standards, which will provide a fresh look at the major developments in the sectors of hospitality, hotels, restaurants and cafes. It enables exhibitors and visitors to explore opportunities for strong strategic partnerships and direct interaction with partners.
The new free-of-charge Certified Training Program for hospitality professionals provided by leading international experts, will be held for the first time during the first and third day of the event. The topics include customer service, time management, and food safety and hygiene to promote best practices for industry practitioners that will be part of the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2022. It will feature international guest speakers in the field of customer service and fan management including Javier Martinez and Hamish Taylor.
Hospitality Qatar will also launch the new dedicated exhibition zone this year “Destination Pavilion,” sponsored by Qatar Airways. The zone will showcase a wide array of significant projects and will highlight the various developments in terms of tourist destinations and services. The pavilion will also host several countries and leading tourist destinations, including Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Japan, Austria, Bulgaria amongst others. Commenting on Qatar Airways' participation for the first time as one of the sponsors of Hospitality Qatar, Mrs Salam Al Shawa, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Corporate Communications, Qatar Airways said: “Qatar Airways’ participation for the first time as a key sponsor of the exhibition is in line with the continuing growth of our network of key destinations. The national carrier of the State of Qatar sponsors an exclusive pavilion for tourism destinations to showcase the many destination points where the airline flies. This dedicated exhibition zone also hosts several tourism authorities from the various embassies situated in Qatar with whom Qatar Airways has been enjoying a long-standing partnership.”
Meanwhile, the “Luxury Tourism” dedicated exhibition zone, which is being introduced in association with Luxury Trade & Marketing Group (LT&MG), will feature innovative technologies, services, solutions on luxury tourism and eco-friendly concepts. Tassos Kotzias, Project Manager, LT&MG, added: “Luxury Tourism dedicated exhibition area offers a wide range of concepts and innovations in the upscale-to-luxurious hospitality sector, future- oriented technologies, services, and solutions. Various activities will be taking place in Luxury Tourism zone, encompassing diverse profiles such as professional Football assessment equipment and brand activations, sports destination management solutions, unique F&B concepts and luxurious designed indoor and outdoor furniture, to name a few.”
Giosafat Regano, Italian Trade Commisioner, commented: “As part of our continuous efforts in boosting economic relations with Qatar, the Italian Trade Agency in cooperation with the National Confederation of Craft Sector and SMEs, 30 companies from North to South of Italy, are coming together under Italy’s official pavilion this year to participate at Hospitality Qatar’s fifth edition, showcasing a wide range of products, services, and solutions that serve the hospitality and tourism sectors in Qatar. We look forward to another successful participation at this leading event.”
Various competitions during the show are set to highly engage the crowds under “Salon Culinaire,” organized in partnership with Qatar Culinary Professionals (QCP), which features the innovative works of top local and international chefs; the Live Cooking Competitions which present the prowess and skills of chefs to prepare mouthwatering signature dishes; and the Qatar Barista Championship, sponsored by Corona, where professional baristas come up with their creative versions of classic and elaborate coffee beverages.
