MEED Events chairman Edmund O'Sullivan, Hilton Worldwide president Middle East & Africa Rudi Jagersbacher, Hospitality Development Company general manager-hotels & resorts Darrell Sheaffer and Qatar Tourism Authority tourism development consultant Tony Williams at the AHIC briefing, Hilton Doha.
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC 2013), due to take place in Dubai from May 5-6, held its third regional briefing at the Hilton Doha and highlighted Qatar Tourism Authority’s plans to invest $20bn on tourism infrastructure as the country prepares to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The AHIC event focused on the performance, opportunities and challenges for Qatar’s hotel industry while participants included Hilton Worldwide president of Middle East and Africa Rudi Jagersbacher, Hospitality Development Company general manager-hotels & resorts Darrell Sheaffer and Qatar Tourism Authority tourism development consultant Tony Williams.
Jagersbacher, who hosted the briefing said: “With almost 1500 additional rooms in the pipeline, Hilton Worldwide appreciates and shares Qatar’s vision to develop sustainable marketplace and tourist and business destination. We are introducing a diverse range of hotel brands to Doha, including the legendary Waldorf Astoria and DoubleTree, to bring greater guest accommodation choice to a city.”
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According to an official report, the country plans to build 45,000 additional hotel rooms to ensure that it meets FIFA's room capacity requirement of 60,000 rooms.
As many as 21 new hotels are planned to open between 2013 and 2017. Latest tourist statistics in the 2012 Annual Report showed that Qatar witnessed 22% growth of GCC visitors during the first quarter of 2012.
The report also states Qatar registered the highest growth rate of Asian visitors with a total of 36,385 visitors in the first quarter of 2012, followed by European tourists with a total of 10,456 tourists.
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