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Travel & Tourism

THE tourism and hospital-ity industry in Qatar is building momentum as it enters the second half of the decade, with an ambitious target of four

million visitors by 2020, supported by $40bn-$45bn worth of sector invest-ment under the country’s National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 plan.

Qatar returns to Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this year to showcase its expanding hotel and tourism infrastructure pipeline following a suc-cessful 2015 with visitor numbers in the first nine months of 2014 growing to reach 2.2 million in third quarter, rep-resenting a year-on-year increase of 7.7 percent, and booming air connec-tivity which saw Hamad International Airport exceed forecast capacity of 30 million passengers last year.

According to a Q3, 2015 HVS (a hospitality intelligence providing firm) report entitled ‘In Focus: Doha, Tracking Progress’, travel and tourism contributed $4.2bn, or 2 percent, to the GDP in 2014, with a figure of $4.6bn forecast for 2015 (a rise of 7.3 percent).

The report notes the addition of 11 new hotel properties with a total of 1,400 rooms to the market in 2015 as part of its commitment to reach 50,000 additional rooms by the 2022, when it will host the FIFA World Cup. Kempinski Marsa Malaz Hotel, Banana Island Resort by Anantara and Melia Doha Hotel were a few of the brands to enter the market last year.

Tourists from the Gulf Cooper-ation Council (GCC) countries kept

Qatar’s tourism sector buoyant last year. GCC tourists accounted 44 per-cent of total visitors in Qatar in 2015.

Last year, close to 3 million (2,929,630) people visited Qatar out of which 1.3 million were from GCC coun-tries. Total number of visitors to Qatar witnessed 3.7 percent increase in 2015 compared to previous year, according to the Ministry of Development Plan-ning and Statistics data. Visitors from GCC have always been important fac-tor in Qatar’s tourism sector. In 2014, GCC visitors constituted 40 percent of

total visitors in Qatar in 2014.Qatar attracted significant trav-

ellers from Asian and European countries. Last year, travellers from Asia accounted 25 percent of the total visitors while the share of European travellers was around 15 percent. A total of 735,841 visitors from Asia trav-elled to Qatar in 2015 while 437,122 were from Europe.

Travellers from other Arab coun-tries constituted around 9 percent. The huge number of travellers proved good for hotels in Qatar. Hotels witnessed

average occupancy of around 67 per-cent in December last year.

A major chunk of travellers com-ing to Qatar are on business visit. Experts say that Doha is predomi-nantly a business destination, with the corporate segment accounting for more than 60 percent of the hotel demand.

The number of visitors is bound to increase significantly in coming years with government agencies tak-ing major steps to boost tourism. Qatar is hosting many international exhibitions, seminars and confer-ences attracting professionals from across the globe.

Hotels in Qatar witnessed occu-pancy of around 67 percent in December last year. According to the Ministry of Development Plan-ning and Statistics, four-star hotels saw occupancy rate of 72 percent in December 2015 while three-star hotels saw occupancy of 62 percent.

The occupancy rate of five-star hotels was at 64 percent while one and two-star hotels saw occupancy of 69 percent in December last year.

December, January, February and March are usually busy months in Qatar in terms of tourists because of pleasant weather. Many cultural and business events take place in Qatar during these four months, attracting visitors from across the globe.

Staying in hotel rooms in Doha became cheaper during the last quarter of last year. Experts track-ing hospitality sector say that reducing room rates is a strategy of hotels to attract more tourists because it brings more volumes for hotels.

“Hotels need to increase vol-umes. So in order to attract people you need to have better prices which means lower prices and this is what hotels have done,” said Filippo Sona,

Director, Head of Hotels Mena Region, Colliers International. “They cut prices in order to attract people. You may lose in rooms but these guests com-ing in will spend money somewhere else,” he added.

Going forward, more hotels are expected to open their operations in Qatar to meet the demand of increasing number of tourists. Qatar’s hospitality sector is expected to see total count of room keys rising to 23,000 by the end of current year, reflecting a growth of 27 percent.

PAGE | 6-7

Qatar Airwaysannounces 14new destinations

Qatar sees rise in travellers from around the globe

Qatar returns to Arabian Travel Market (ATM) this year to showcase its expanding hotel and tourism infrastructure pipeline following a successful 2015 with visitor numbers in the first nine months of 2014 growing to reach 2.2 million in third quarter.

PIC: Sajad Sahir

CHAIRMANSheikh Thani bin Abdullah Al Thani

ACTING EDITOR-IN-CHIEFDr. Khalid Al-Shafi

ACTING MANAGING EDITORHussain Ahmad

SUPPLEMENT COORDINATORAhmed Eltigani Idris

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SPOTTING a unique gap in Qatar’s sporting market-place, Ooredoo has launched a new Machine-2-

Machine (M2M) service that uses innovative GSM/GPS solutions on Ooredoo Super-net to train and track animals and birds.

The new service, developed in collaboration with Qatar Tourism Company, is a MSQ solution to help hunters and falconers keep track of their animals.

Unlike existing tracking solutions which involve a specific frequency that can restrict the owner to a

maximum range of 150km, the MSQ powered by Ooredoo’s M2M solution works via GSM and GPS technologies to accurately locate the position of falcons and other birds of prey in real time without range limitations.

It can also be attached to camels, horses, dogs and other animals that roam or are used for hunting. The device, first showcased at the International Falcon and Hunting Festival (Marmi) at Sealine, deploys a transmitter and a Navigator/PA.

MSQ can also provide the current speed of the animal, distance from the owner, weather status, coordinates and battery status on the device, all

Ooredoo’s M2M solution backs falcon hunting

Unlike existing tracking solutions which involve a specific frequency that can restrict the owner to a maximum range of 150km, the MSQ powered by Ooredoo’s M2M solution works via GSM and GPS technologies to accurately locate the position of falcons and other birds of prey in real time without range limitations.

OOREDOO launched ‘Ooredoo tv’, which has replaced its existing Mozaic TV. Android powered Ooredoo tv will offer over 400 live channels, 4K picture quality and advance control through phone or tablet comput-

ers. Ooredoo has become the first operator in the region to offer a commercial 4K service. 4K picture quality allows viewers to enjoy a high definition experience even on the largest screens. Oore-doo tv will allow users to watch channels on tablet computers.

“This is a proud day for Ooredoo, as we take home enter-tainment to the next level in Qatar. Ooredoo tv will deliver more power, more choice and a smoother experience for custom-ers and deploy the full strength of the Ooredoo Supernet. Our Mozaic TV customers will be amazed at how easy it is to upgrade to Ooredoo tv, and will be delighted by the quality of service when they do,” said Waleed Al Sayed, Chief Executive Officer, Ooredoo Qatar. The upgrade comes free for Mozaic customers. Ooredoo has introduced a ‘Collect & Go’ service for all current Mozaic TV and broadband users, meaning they can visit any Ooredoo Shop and collect the new Ooredoo tv box to take home from today. The 260,000 homes in Qatar that have already been installed with Ooredoo Fibre will be able to self-install the new Ooredoo tv service.

To keep things simple for customers, Ooredoo tv will offer four feature-filled packages called ‘Extras’ — Arabia Extra for leading Arabic entertainment; Asian Extra for sport, movies and news from Asia; International Extra includes sport, family, history and comedy from around the world and Super Extra combines the three packages. All bundles come with 10 Mbps Broadband and access to landline with free local calls.

Viewers will also be able to access Ooredoo’s Movies on Demand library and have free unlimited access to the Ooredoo tv Club, with unlimited content from ABC Studios and Disney. There will be two month’s free subscription to any extra package.

Customers can enjoy a full range of features such as catch-up TV, enabling them to time shift and view current and previ-ously broadcast TV content with start, pause, fast forward and rewind. Ooredoo tv is available via Ooredoo shops and Star-link, TechnoBlue and Jumbo outlets. It has no upfront charges, no equipment costs and no ongoing contracts. “We believe we have built everything our customers could want into the Ooredoo tv service,” said Al Sayed. “It’s one of the most excit-ing new product launches in Ooredoo’s history,” he added.

Ooredoo tv

replaces

Mozaic TV

OOREDOO opened its newest ‘Smart shop’ at the Pearl-Qatar in a celebration inaugurated by Sheikh

Saud bin Nasser Al Thani, Group CEO of the company.

The shop in Medina Centrale opposite the Novo Cinema is in a prime location for residents and visitors to access its facilities. It hosts some of the latest customer service technologies to ensure a smoother and improved experience for visitors.

Waleed Al Sayed, CEO, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “Our new state-of-the-art shop raises the bar in terms of intelligent design and a better customer experience. Not only does it enable paperless transactions, it also deploys latest digital solutions such as

digital banners, electronic brochures and our new Queue Management solution. It has a trained team eager and ready to help, smarter technology on offer, and latest information on our deals.”

The facility is the first fully paperless Ooredoo shop, offering a convenient one-stop shop for customers seeking services such as Hala, Shahry, Broadband, fixed line and business services.

The shop will provide SIM replacements and Hala top-ups and enables Mozaic and fixed line customers to migrate to Ooredoo tv, the incredible new all-in-one entertainment service launched this week. As part the vision for moving to paper-free service to reduce the

use of natural resources, all forms to sign up, upgrade or register for services are available through a fully-paperless process.

This is made possible by a specially-designed online system supporting easy-to-use eForms, the latest eScanning equipment for QID and passports, and eSignatures for digital signatures.

The shop also supports eAcknowledgements, which enable customers to electronically agree to Ooredoo’s terms and conditions and receive digital copies through SMS and email.

Ooredoo has invested in a next generation eArchiving system which enables the real time archiving of customer applications onto its

database, offering a safer storage and archiving system for customers’ details and an instant method to retrieve applications.

Ooredoo aims to continue the expansion of the shop model across Qatar, with new shops in new locations. Customers can access and find out details about Ooredoo’s life-enriching products by visiting ooredoo.qa, logging onto the Ooredoo Community or following their social media pages.

As well as online and in-store, customers can visit one of the 200 plus self-service machines throughout the country to purchase cinema tickets, top up Hala accounts, pay bills and buy vouchers for a range of shopping and dining experiences in Qatar.

Next generation smart shop opens at the Pearl-Qatar

In the news

SUPPLEMENT EDITORMohammed Salim Mohammed

DESIGNAbraham Augusthy

PRODUCTIONViswanath Sarma

IMAGE PROCESSINGMohd Sajad Sahir

TypesettingDeepak John

features that can provide vital information in race conditions.

Yousuf Abdulla Al Kubaisi, COO, Ooredoo Qatar, said: “Despite the strong tradition of hunting in Qatar, there were almost no products in the market that could be used for training a bird for competitions and certainly not one designed specifically for this market. We’ve developed this unique all-in-one MSQ service to support the traditional sport of falconry and ensured that it is affordable and accessible for every sportsperson.”

Ooredoo’s M2M data bundles offer a flexible pricing plan, from 100 MB to 50 GB packages that can be shared among as many SIM cards as needed.

JUSTSWITCHED

Terms and conditions apply

KHALIFA AL HAROON

SUPER LOADED3GB / UNLIMITED LOCAL CALLSSHAHRY SMART 250

Aqua Park Qatar, the first ever theme park in Qatar, is yet another must-visit tourist destination in Qatar. With

a capacity of more than 3,000 visi-tors, the park is located in Abu Nakhla area, after the Industrial Area flyo-ver, approximately 15km on the Salwa Road to the west.

The water park is built on an area of 50,000 sq. metres of action-packed water fun. Featuring a mammoth play area, the giant 2,000 galloon tipping bucket, enormous 4 storey high water slides, the full-sized wave pool, and a 200m long lazy river, the Aqua Park has all the ingredients that would allow you to set the tempo for your day out. With more than 15 exhilarat-ing water attractions, Aqua Park is a perfect combo where you can ride-slide, splish-splash and sleep-relax to make your day a memorable one.

The water park acts as an oasis in the desert. It offers a variety of areas for every member of the family to enjoy. Catered mainly for children ages 4 to 14, the pirate-themed Children’s Activ-ity Pool has been a major hit among adults as well, not only due to its five slides but also the giant dumping bucket which automatically pours 2,000 gal-lons of water every two minutes much to the children’s delight.

The Wave Pool is the major attrac-tion and the strongest favorite among the excursionists. The Wave Pool pro-duces simulated waves in six special patterns and intensity.

Aqua Park Qatar, the first ever theme park in Qatar, is yet another must-visit tourist destination. With more than 15 exhilarating water attractions, Aqua Park is a perfect combo where you can ride-slide, splish-splash and sleep-relax to make your day a memorable one.

People may also choose to swim in the Lagoon which features a juice bar and cafeteria with both dry and wet seating, a Jacuzzi and a giant pipe which releases very cold water giving

swimmers a jolt of fun. A 200m-long Lazy River meanders around the park where excursionists may lazily ride on their inflatable swimming floats.

But topping all the rides is the

Slides Tower comprising three levels – 14m, 16m and 20m — with multi-lane slides, the most thrilling of which is the 20m-high slide called ‘boomerango’.

The slide complex has various slides, among which the most thrill-ing is the sliding tube where visitors to Aqua Park accelerate 20 metres down one side of a steep chute and then up the other, with a speed of up to 60 km/h.

This ride can be enjoyed by any thrill seeker with the minimum height of 1.2 metres and less than 100kg although is not recommended for the faint hearted and pregnant women.

The cultural aspect of the water park is evident in its Exotic Village nes-tled in the middle of the park featuring King’s Hut and Queen’s Hut with doz-ens of wooden parasols built all over the area. It is linked to other parts of the park by means of wooden bridges.

Restaurants and food kiosks and a store which sells swimming para-phernalia such as goggles, beach balls, swimwear and other swimming gear are also available in the park.

With 42 lifeguards, a Qatar Red Crescent ambulance and a team reg-ularly checking water treatment, the management of the park makes safety and security a priority.

Aqua Park Qatar is considered as

a best destination to spend quality fun time for family and friends and an ideal place to host family picnics, birthday parties, corporate fun days or open days. In 2014, Aqua Park received a total of 150,000 visitors.

Aqua Park Qatar: An oasis in the desert

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VISITOR numbers are growing by the day at the newly-opened Al Khor Park which has a rare attraction — a mini zoo featuring animals being

shifted from the Doha Zoo. The public park which was reopened recently after renovation has become the first in the country to have a zoo. Renovations took over five years to complete.

The Doha Zoo is undergoing a mas-sive facelift, giving way to a unique Safari park and the animals have been shifted to various places. A total of 188 animals and birds have been shifted to the mini zoo at Al Khor Park by the Animal Section

Visitors throng mini zoo at renovated Al Khor Park

of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.

The zoo is open from 8am to 10pm on all days except Tues-day when entry is restricted to women and children. An added attraction is a train operating with battery and can accom-modate 36 people to take a tour at the park.

“This is the first time we moved these animals and birds from the main zoo and Al Khor Park is the first to include a mini zoo,” Mohammed Ali Al Khori, Director of the Department, said.

The mini zoo has eight open stockades divided into two sec-tions, 10 glass cages and one giant cage with water ponds, falls, bridges and trees where nests are hanged.

The zoo also has a veterinary room to check and treat animals and birds, six rooms for quarantine and observation, a laboratory, a pharmacy and a room for dissec-tion. There is an attached building for preparing food for animals and birds.

Shaheen Ghanim Al Mohan-nadi, Manager of the park, said the number of visitors on the opening day and subsequent days exceeded their expectations. People came from different parts of Qatar, thanks to the great job carried out by different parties, he added.

Entry fee is QR5 per adult.

The Doha Zoo is undergoing a massive facelift, giving way to a unique Safari park and the animals have been shifted to various places. A total of 188 animals and birds have been shifted to the mini zoo at Al Khor Park.

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ATAR Airways’ (QA) Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker has announced a significant network expansion of 14 new destinations. Thenew routes will further expand the reach of the

airline’s network, and will include the world’s longest flight, between Doha and Auckland, New Zealand.

“QA prides itself on being a glo-bal connector, and most importantly, providing seamless and convenient con-nections for our customers, so that we remain their airline of choice. These new destinations are where our cus-tomers want to go, and where we see the most opportunity to provide a best-in-class experience at great value. We look forward to growing our network and welcoming new passengers to QA,” said Al Baker.

The expansion includes five new European destinations including the Italian city of Pisa starting on August 2 with daily non-stop A320-family serv-ice from Doha, which will be the fourth Italian destination for QA, joining Ven-ice, Rome and Milan.

Service to Sarajevo (Bosnia) will start on September 7, with three flights per week on A320-family aircraft.

Daily non-stop flights from Doha to Helsinki (Finland) will start on October

10, offering new connections between one world hubs. Three times weekly service between Doha and Skopje (Mac-edonia) in November. QA will return to Nice (France) by summer 2017, with five flights per week with wide-body aircraft.

QA will begin services to six new destinations in Africa including Mar-rakech (Morocco) which will begin in July, three times per week. Four flights per week between Doha and Windhoek (Namibia) will begin on September 28.

Daily scheduled service to the Sey-chelles will resume on December 12. In January, QA will offer three flights per week from Doha to Douala (Cameroon) and Libreville (Gabon). Non-stop serv-ice, three times weekly from Doha to Lusaka (Zambia) will begin by summer 2017. New QA destinations in South West Pacific/Southeast Asia includes daily service to Auckland – QA’s first route to New Zealand, and what will be the world’s longest flight – will begin on December 3.

QA will begin four flights per week to Krabi (Thailand) on December 6 and three flights per week to Chiang Mai (Thailand) also in December, enhancing overall connectivity to Thailand through four gateways. QA’s latest brand cam-paign theme ‘Going Places Together’ is reflected in the redesign and activities, with the focus on bringing travellers closer together at ITB Berlin.

Qatar Airways (QA) ceremoniously unveiled its redesigned exhibition stand at ITB Berlin 2016, the world’s largest travel and tourism trade show.

Visitors to QA’s contemporary stand will be excited by the innovative tech-nology the airline has employed to give them a unique experience, where they can interact with the airline’s advanced aircraft and experience QA’s signature Qatari hospitality with an invitation to enjoy its award-winning Business Class comfort and taste its exquisite menu.

Akbar Al Baker said: “Our new brand campaign, ‘Going Places Together’, cel-ebrates our love of travel and our love of exploration. In that spirit of exploration,

our new stand will feature innovative ways to interact with QA, from our new Business Class seat with simulated views of the many places you can visit on our fleet to the cutting-edge technology of our 3D A350.

“You can also depend on our team to walk you through many award-win-ning features of our airline. We take our role as a leader in the aviation indus-try seriously and have developed this concept for that very reason.”

QA is one of the first companies to combine holographic 3D graphics with ‘swipe’ (or ‘gesture’) technology to give exhibition visitors a unique experience.

They can also move and play with the hologram of the airline’s A350 air-craft — for which it was the global launch customer — and learn more about the advanced aircraft, by simply motion-ing in front of the screen.

In addition to integrating the new brand campaign and allowing visitors to

try out the airline’s Business Class seat-ing and service, the new booth design replicates particular elements of Hamad International Airport, the hub of QA. Cov-ering an area of over 40,000sqm, the airport offers all amenities expected of a modern and luxurious facility.

Having opened in 2014, the state-of-the-art airport boasts more than 70 shops and boutiques, 30 dining estab-lishments, a 25-metre pool, a gym, a hotel and a spa.

ATAR Airways is offering a staggering choice of up to 3,000 in-flight entertain-ment options on board its flights, providing its passen-gers with one of the world’s largest and best in-flight entertainment libraries.

The airline, which previously offered up to 2,000 entertainment options, has increased its on board entertainment options from March to up to 3,000, offering a wide selection of up to 550 movies, 1,400 episodes of TV shows, 1,000 audio selections, and 50 games. Passen-gers travelling with Qatar Airways in March will also be delighted to discover the full col-lection of seven Star Wars movies on board, including the latest instalment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Other premieres on board for the month include: the final part of the Hunger Games series, Mockingjay Part Two; Creed; The 33; Trumbo; and Macbeth. The latest family mov-ies on board include: Alvin the Chipmunks RoadChip; The Good Dinosaur; The Peanuts Movie; and Pan.

Qatar Airways has one of the most exten-sive selections of entertainment available in the skies on its award-winning Oryx One

in-flight entertainment platform. As well as the full Star Wars collection, passengers can enjoy the full box set of Marvel movies, all the Harry Potter movies and 10 of the best James Bond movies, including the most recent instalment in the franchise - Spectre.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said that the stepping up of in-flight entertainment options for the air-line’s passengers reaffirms Qatar Airways’ commitment to continuously upgrade its product offerings.

“One of the reasons why we remain one of the world’s favourite airlines is because we constantly keep looking for ways to enhance the in-flight experience of our passengers. With

our on board content, we aim to offer some-thing for passengers of all ages, and now with this increased content, our customers will be able to experience new entertainment options every time they travel. Going to their favour-ite places for leisure or business will now be more interesting, entertaining and relaxing,” said Al Baker.

“We are happy to bring Star Wars: The Force Awakens on board as the latest addi-tion to our innovative on board entertainment system, Oryx One. Stars Wars fans can now choose from the full collection of all seven movies to watch,” said Salam Alshawa, Qatar Airways Senior Vice-President of Marketing and Corporate Communications.

Up to 3,000 in-flight entertainment options on boardQatar Airwaysannounces 14 new destinations

QATAR Airways (QA) is the first airline in the Middle East to achieve platinum status in

the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA’s) Fast Travel Programme in recog-

nition of its success in using innovative technology to provide passengers with quick

and convenient air travel. Mohsen Alyafei, Executive Vice- President, QA, received the

accolade on behalf of Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive, QA, yesterday from Pierre Char-

bonneau, Director Passenger, IATA, at Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl, where the airline is

hosting the Passenger Experience Management Group.

The airline met IATA’s highest Fast Travel standard by implementing self-service systems

that address worldwide passenger demands for more choice, convenience and control over

their travel experience. QA uses new technologies, from kiosks to mobile apps, to offer self-

serve channels, enabling passengers to check in, print Q-tag baggage labels at home and access

quick bag drop facilities worldwide, scan their travel documents, re-book flights, self-board and

report missing bags online.

Al Baker, said: “QA is the first airline in the Middle East to achieve IATA’s platinum accolade,

and only the sixth in the world to accomplish this high-level standard since the Fast Travel Pro-

gramme’s foundation. “This is a significant achievement for the airline and furthers our ambition

to redefine the passenger experience. “Passenger needs are at the heart of our service design

and we want to provide all of our guests with the very best travel experience.

“For those passengers comfortable using technology, QA has provided opportunity to

self-serve, giving them the control and flexibility they desire throughout their journey with us.”

The airline industry’s Fast Travel initiative comprises six criteria and three standards — green,

gold and platinum.

QA has achieved platinum status for offering self-service facilities to more than 80 per-

cent of its passengers travelling through its state-of-the-art hub Hamad International Airport

and across its global network.

In 2014, QA received the Fast Travel green status for streamlining its travel processes and

became the first airline in the region to enable passengers to print baggage tags at home. Nick

Careen, Senior Vice-President, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, IATA, said: “QA’s ongo-

ing efforts and innovative solutions mean that more than 80 percent of its passengers are now

offered solutions that enable them to manage their journey. “According to industry surveys,

over 50 percent of passengers want to speed up air travel experience and around 75 percent

worldwide want more self-service options. “Ultimately, by providing more choice and more

control for passengers, airlines can achieve lower costs and billions of dollars in annual savings

for the industry,” he added.

6 7

Q

Q Qatar Airways first platinumairline in the Middle East

Akbar Al Baker (second right), Group Chief Executive, Qatar Airways, with Jonathan Harding (left), Senior Vice-President, NSW Europe, QA; and Frédéric Gosson (right), Country Manager, QA, at the airline’s ITB Press Conference hosted by Sky TV Presenter Ruth Hofmann.

AN interesting place to visit for everyone, especially for those fascinated in traditions, theatre, art and architecture, is the Katara Cultural Village.

Also named as the Valley of Cul-tures, the cultural village was opened in 2010 on the occasion of the Doha Cultural Capital of the Arab World year. This cultural village includes heritage centres, opera house, librar-ies, an amphitheatre, art galleries, cafes, museum facilities and other establishments.

The entire Katara complex is built in a fusion of oriental architectural and retro-romantic style. Katara aims in acknowledging and promot-ing cultural awareness in Qatar. Built to epitomise the Qatari traditional architecture; Katara’s design makes it a proper environment for cultural, creative intellectual and artistic activ-ities through carnivals, social events, symposiums, exhibitions, concerts and all kinds of artistic expressions.

Visitors are free to take a walk around the main Katara area which has been built in the style of the tra-ditional Qatari alleyways, called Al Fareej. The first of which include 37 tra-ditional style buildings. These include Qatar Fine Arts Society, Qatari Soci-ety for Engineers, Visual Art Centre, Childhood Cultural Centre, Qatar Pho-tographic Society, Qatar Music Academy and Theatre Society.

In addition, the main Katara area also includes a handicraft souk, book market, a media centre, several aca-demic facilities, coffee shops, green areas and information centres, as well as access to a private beach. The Al Yazwa Public Beach requires fee to access but it’s worth a visit.

THE AMPHITHEATREOverlooking the radiant blue sea,

The Katara Amphitheatre is an archi-tectural beauty and created as a fusion of the perpetual Islamic features and classical Greek theatre concept. This 3,275 sqm landmark was completed in the year 2008 to host some of the most fantastic world-class events in Doha and pays homage to the great tra-dition of the distinctive architectural patterns linked with amphitheatres.

The spectacular amphitheatre was officially opened on December 11, 2011. The amphitheatre has a seating capac-ity 5,000 and has hosted most popular events like open-air film viewings and pop concerts.

THE OPERA HOUSEHome to the Qatar Philharmonic

Orchestra, the Katara Opera House has rapidly become a lively focal point for some of the world’s top perform-ers. The Opera House offers a lavish cultural experience with a blend of Oriental and late Victorian architec-tural styles and conventional Islamic design. The theater has a seating capac-ity of 550 people.

DRAMA THEATREThe drama theatre offers a luxuri-

ous cultural experience with a blend of the traditional Islamic architecture

Katara Cultural Village: A must-visit for all

of Doha and contemporary designs. The indoor Drama Theatre main stage elicits the sensitivity of open air expe-rience. The theatre is constructed in such a way to host film screenings and a wide range of events. Moreo-ver, this theatre is suitable for hosting receptions and functions before and

after the performances as it has a sep-arate entrance and annex hall. The Theatre accommodates 430 people.

FINEST RESTAURANTSThe Katara Cultural Village also

features finest international restau-rants offering visitors a splendid taste

of scrumptious diversity of culinary arts with original flavours of Middle East and the world’s most renowned cuisines. These include Chac’late (Paris-ian cuisine); the Cigar lounge, where visitors can unwind and spend quality time with friends having splendid light snacks and signature concoctions and enjoy captivating live music perform-ance on weekends; Le Vesuvio (offers the taste of Italy with a French twist); Khan Farouk Tarab Café (Egyptian); Saffron Lounge, an Indian restaurant which delivers the spicy zest of the Indian dishes and also offers a variety of teas which combine traditional flavors with new, exciting tastes; Sukar Pasha Ottoman Lounge (offering Delicious Turkish cuisine and an assortment of sheesha flavours); L’wzaar (Sea Food); and Mamig-Armenian (the best place to enjoy Armenian cuisine) to name a few.

KATARA BEACHKatara’s private beach is one of

the most beautiful natural beaches of Qatar and covers nearly 2km. Vis-itors and tourists have a choice of getting a peaceful beach experience and plunging into the excitement with several adrenaline-boosting beach activities. Children’s have a play area where they can spend time with a vari-ety of activities, sports and rides as well as child-friendly water games. The remarkable selection of sport activities include sailing, water ski-ing, parasailing, windsurfing, knee boarding, wakeboarding, boat rides, banana rides and fishing trips. Classes are also available in water skiing, sail-ing wakeboarding and windsurfing.

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A STELLAR shopping and entertainment desti-nation has emerged in Katara with launch of the multi-million riyal Magical Festival Village

early this month.Abdulaziz Al Mohannadi, Oper-

ations Manager of Magical Festival Village, said the total cost of the project has reached more than QR60m.

With its European-inspired archi-tecture, the 40,000sqm village nestled in the southern beach area of Katara is the latest tourist attraction and shop-ping destination in Doha.

Initially, the village is open for the next three months, from 3pm to 11pm during weekdays, and from morning time on Friday and Saturday. For the next season, it will open from Octo-ber to May.

A huge fountain with over a hundred pumps greets visitors at the entrance of the village. Circling it are more than 20 restaurants and cafes offering good fare and variety with a seating capac-ity of over 800.

More than 400 boutiques lined up neatly and painted in varying colours are a sight to behold, departing from the usual designs seen around the city. While they look European from out-side, inside the boutiques are all sorts of products coming from 20 countries in the region.

The market is a one-stop shop to buy everything from clothing, per-fume and jewellery to toys, carpets and handicrafts among others.

The Village will also host various discount seasons on the most famous global brands, which will add an inter-national shopping flavor and allow shoppers to discover new brands at reasonable prices.

At night, the alleys are illumi-nated by lampposts resembling ancient European boulevards. Stat-ues of famous cartoon characters are scattered around the village bring-ing cheer to young visitors.

The alleys are also set to serve as an open art gallery, displaying works by some of the most important inter-national artists.

The Village is family friendly with a number of entertainment and games such as an outdoor ice skating court, a giant trampoline, Go Kart race, special

Magical Festival Village is latest tourist attraction

effects cinema and a riddles room.The village’s main attraction,

the Fort Castle, has been built to morph into a giant screen showing movies in 3D Mapping technology, along with technical and mechanical

effects. Another feature of the castle is a Virtual Reality studio that takes children to where their favorite car-toons have been created, using the same effects utilised in the renowned international studios.

In addition, the Village also promises to surprise visitors with new games and attractions on a daily and weekly basis such as daily car-nivals and musical corners.

As a distinct feature of the Village

festivals will be organised regularly including the Smart Science Festival that encourages innovation mindset in kids, the Fantasy & Laughter Festival designed for families, and the Choc-olate Cupcake Festival that centres

on cakes and sweets in a non-traditional way, since it will not focus on promot-ing products, but only fun and enjoyment.

Another must-see festival is the Mas-ter Chef Arabia Festival, which will see in its first edition a competition among major chefs in Qatar. The next edition of Master Chef Arabia Festival will include chefs from all around the GCC.

Events catered exclusively for women will also be hosted in the village including Fashion Week, which will provide oppor-tunity to know more about the fashion in 2016 – 2017 season via meeting with some of the most famous designers in the Arab region and worldwide. This event will be held in the Hall, a 1,500sqm events venue in the village.

A number of international festivals, such as Wedding Festival and Balloon Festival as well as other events which have never been hosted in Qatar will also be organ-ised in the Village to position Qatar as a bespoke tourist destination in the region.

The project was implemented, in coop-eration with a number of government and private entities including Katara, Ezdan Holding Group as strategic partner and Media Works, as general contractor.

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Initially, the village is open for the next three months, from 3pm to 11pm during weekdays, and from morning time on Friday and Saturday. For the next season, it will open from October to May.

THIS green oasis lies hid-den behind the Villaggio and Hyatt plaza, Doha’s popular shopping malls in the Aspire zone. The park

is the biggest in the city. The Aspire Zone is a huge and

super-lush park, complete with sports grounds, children’s play area, green areas, trees for shade, jogging track, fountains and eateries. The Aspire Park offers not just green space for a

good walk or jog but it also has a big lake with aquatic animals which is an additional touch of nature that visi-tors can enjoy with cafés and green shades adding to the aesthetic appeal of the park.

Aspire Park can be a good getaway after a long day of shopping. With an eye to both the amusement for kids and the activities of many sports-enthusiasts, this park has provided the required diversity for those who

enjoy outdoor activities. The Aspire Zone, itself is consid-

ered the ultimate sporting destination of the Middle East and rose to interna-tional prominence through successful staging of the 2006 Asian Games. Aspire Zone is able to provide space to the sporting demands ranging from hosting major international events to coaching camps and conferences. There are also other famous sports venues Khalifa Stadium, impressive

Hamad Aquatic Centre and Aspire Dome.

The park attracts hundreds visi-tors on a daily basis since its inception, especially over the weekends. The Aspire Park is in the Aspire Zone behind the Villaggio mall and Hyatt Plaza in the district of Al Waab. Visitors have to take the road between Villagio Mall and Hyatt Plaza to reach Aspire Park. There is plenty of parking available.

The structural design of Aspire Park is distinctive in its spiral trails and solar-powered lights made in a thoughtful gesture for the surroundings.

The only lake in Qatar can be enjoyed in the park with plenty of aquatic animals, with a good coffee in the cafe nearby. Or the visitors can simply sit on the park and unwind.

The Torch Tower which served as a giant torch for the 2006 Asian Games is another recreational attrac-tion in the park.

Resembling a uniquely shaped giant tree with excess of colorful lights, the Torch Tower is currently an ultra modern hotel. The design of the tower was conceived by Archi-tect Hadi Simman for the 15th Asian Games and can be spotted from any point in Doha.

The Torch Tower is worth a visit: The modern interiors, lobby, rooms with unique details and lighting tech-niques, spa, the panoramic swimming pool on the 19th floor and the rotating restaurant on the very top to admire the view of the whole of Doha by night.

Aspire Park: Green oasis

Animatronic dinosaurs and King Kong at the Animal ParkAN Animal Park featuring 15 animals, includ-

ing animatronic dinosaurs and King Kong, opened besides the Qatar Sport Club in West Bay. With the gigantic animals moving and

creating sounds, the edutainment park which is brought to Doha by CAC Events in collaboration with AJ Enter-tainment company and Qatar Tourism Authority.

“The concept of the park is entertain and educate children because every animal in the park will get a banner containing all details in Arabic and Eng-lish,” said Christon Thomas , Managing Director of CAC Events. He said the park was inspired by char-acters from films and was created after the success

of the Dinosaur Village in Muscat last year.The Dinosaur Village is currently in Salalah in

Oman and will come to Doha soon, he added. “We brought 15 animatronic dinosaurs in Muscat which witnessed 1.2m footfalls in the span of 31 days,” he said.

Ticket prices are QR15 for children and QR25 for adults while babies are free. There is also a Kids’ arena which features kids entertainment and rides priced at QR10 per ride which has a duration of two to five minutes.

The park will be open every day from Thursday until April 2, from 4pm to 11 pm except on Saturday which will be open from 10am to 11pm.

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THE Museum of Islamic Art is a museum located on the Corniche. The iconic building was designed by architect

I M Pei. The museum building has rapidly become an iconic feature of the Doha landscape.

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) represents Islamic art from three continents over 1,400 years. Its collection includes metal work, ceramics, jewellery, wood work, textiles and glass, obtained from three continents and dating from the 7th to the 19th century.

The museum houses a col-lection of works gathered since the late 1980s, including manu-scripts, textiles and ceramics. It is one of the world’s most complete collections of Islamic artifacts, with items originating in Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Central Asia.

The Museum of Islamic Art is is connected to the coast by a vehicular bridge and a by two pedestrian bridges.

The MIA is only 15 minutes drive from Hamad International Airport and within walking dis-tance of Souq Waqif. The best way

to get to the museum is by car or taxi. At present, MIA is much-admired as one of the world’s great museums.

The cream-coloured lime-stone captures the changes in light and shade during the day. The interior is no less spectacular. The centrepiece of the atrium is a curved double staircase lead-ing up to the first floor. Above it floats an ornate circular metal chandelier echoing the curve of the staircase.

An oculus, at the top of the atrium, captures and reflects pat-terned light within the faceted dome. The five-storey 45-metre tall window on the north side gives spectacular panoramic views across the bay.

The geometric patterns of the Islamic world adorn the spaces, including the ceilings of the ele-vators. A variety of textures and materials from wood and stone has created a unique environ-ment for the museum’s stunning collections.

The two floors of galleries that encircle the atrium have treasures from the perma-nent collection. Each chamber is serene and pleasantly cool, solace from the heat and hustle outside. The exhibition rooms feature specially designed cases and lighting to protect the brittle antiquities on display.

MIA has an exceptional col-lection of rare gold and silver coins which gives a captivating insight into the lives of Muslim peoples from the 7th century.

The gift shop which is nes-tled on the ground floor offers a unique cultural and shopping experience. There is a vast array of exclusively designed products based on the MIA magnificent collection from art books to exhi-bition catalogues, jewellery to home decor and other gifts and accessories, visitors can expe-rience and choose their best museum souvenirs.

MIA PARK

The MIA Park is adjacent to the museum where visitors leisurely

walk in the promenades, par-ticipate in fun activities, dine outdoor with a spectacular pan-orama of West Bay or just stare at the Doha skyline from the best vantage point in the city.

Visitors can unwind in the high-backed chairs while enjoying freshly made sandwiches,

For children aged 2 to 14, there is a play area which has a playhouse, sandpit, swings,

slides and a bungee trampoline which is safe and well super-vised. Bikes for adults and children can be hired from the small Gift Shop near the cafe.

Visitors can enjoy the paddle

boats exploring the calm waters surrounding the museum. Life jackets are provided and the trained staffs are on hand to ensure the adventures are as safe as they are fun.

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MIA: One of the world’s greatest museums

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