It?s a challenging time for revenue managers, as they flock to the Hotelier Middle East Qatar GM Debate to hear the tips and tricks of industry experts.
National outlook
It’s not all doom and gloom. Over the next three years, TRI Hospitality Consulting expects supply and demand will level, and then there is the FIFA World Cup planned for 2022. In the interim, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has various developments planned to entice travellers.
QTA director of tourism Al-Bader outlines a number of initiatives under way, from infrastructure and finance deals to the development of theme parks. He affirms that the new Doha airport will open before the end of 2012, with Doha port to open in 2015 to foster cruise business.
He reveals that 47 exhibitions are scheduled to be held in 2012 at Qatar National Convention Centre, despite it having only opened in December.
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“We also have the Qatar Foundation Exhibition Centre,” Al-Bader adds. “Imagine, at the end of this year we will have our new exhibition centre belonging to us by Doha City Centre. So that one is 40,000m², and our exhibition centre is 15,000m², and QNCC is 40,000m², so imagine we will have almost 100,000m² [available] if we have a big exhibition.
“So with our new exhibition centre it will be much more than this number of 47 [exhibitions booked] because a lot are waiting,”says Al-Bader.
Markiewicz tells the revenue managers: “We have to think that the destination is going to move forward and we can change the facilities and services to match the people coming”.
But at the same time, revenue managers must be prepared for Qatar failing to increase demand to meet the growing capacity in the near future, says Markiewicz. Afterall it’s the revenue manager’s job to worry.
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