Qatar Tourism Agency opens office in Istanbul to boost tourism ties

ISTANBUL

The Qatar Tourism Agency (QTA) has opened a new representative office in Istanbul in a bid to boost bilateral tourism ties, the agency said in a press release on Aug. 8, adding that this showed the Turkish market’s high priority in the agency’s international network.

The agency has offices in London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Singapore, New York and Riyadh in addition to the Istanbul office, according to the release.

“Our visitors from Turkey can easily take a visa as soon as they arrive in Qatar. There are more than 50 direct flights between Istanbul and Doha. For that reason, the Turkish market has huge growth potential for us,” said QTA Marketing and Promotional Board President Rashed Al Qurese.

The agency planned to promote Qatar as a leading tourism destination among potential tourists, tour operators, tour agencies and accommodation sector players, according to the press release.

Al Qurese also noted that the foreign arrivals to Qatar had risen 91 percent since 2009, with a yearly increase of around 13.8 percent.

“As the QTA, we are working to make our tourism sector more sustainable and attract more tourists to our country,” he added.

A total of 5,852 Turks visited Qatar in 2015, according to the press release.