Qatar – a peninsula surrounded by the Arabian Gulf in the heart of the Middle East – has ambitious plans to grow its cruise sector.

Ranked the safest country in the world in 2020 by Numbeo, Qatar welcomes all travellers, and guests from more than 85 countries can enter visa-free.

Qatar has an incredible variety of accessible tourist attractions, a plethora of fauna and flora, including whale sharks and the majestic national animal the Arabian oryx, and most experiences are a unique combination of cultural authenticity and modernity.

From iconic museums to high-rise restaurants, thrilling desert adventures to world-famous events –including the FIFA World Cup 2022 – there is something for all.

One of the peninsula’s major new tourism projects, The Grand Cruise Terminal, will be located in central Doha near the Museum of Islamic Art and Souq Waqif. It will give passengers a spectacular view upon arrival of the West Bay Skyline.

Once completed, the terminal will be able to host two mega-ships at one time and offer various attractions including an aquarium and art gallery.

Qatar Tourism chief operating officer Berthold Trenkel said: “We are continuing to expand our tourism offer and are excited to introduce guests to the best of Qatari hospitality. In 2019, over 200,000 cruise passengers visited the destination.”

New experiences in Qatar

Over the past 18 months Qatar has launched new tourism experiences, restaurants, theme parks, and football stadiums, and is adding more than 100 hotels and hotel apartments to its already extensive portfolio of properties. The new properties will broaden the appeal to travellers and enhance the visitor experience, as Qatar Tourism continues its mission to welcome six million visitors a year by 2030.

One recent hotel opening is the Banyan Tree Doha, a five-star luxury property elegantly designed by renowned interior designer, Jacques Garcia. Other hotel openings on the horizon include the Pullman Doha West Bay, a five-star Accor property; the JW Marriott West Bay, which features an eye-catching and towering exterior; and the Steigenberger Hotel, famed for its exclusive hospitality.

Earlier this year, Qatar Tourism launched the Visit Qatar mobile app as part of its digital transformation strategy. The app uses innovative cloud-based Adobe Experience Manager capabilities to deliver a rich and data driven, curated experience for users.

Safe and seamless travel in Qatar

A new streamlined set of measures designed to make travelling to Qatar as easy as possible, while maintaining the necessary precautions to continue to protect against the spread of Covid-19, have been implemented.

Qatar was ranked the third safest country in the world this year by Global Finance mainly due to its management and prevention of Covid-19 outbreaks.

The Qatar Clean programme, launched in partnership with The Ministry of Public Health, enforces the highest standards in hygiene and cleanliness, with rigorous procedures in place to ensure the safety of customers.

With 100 per cent of Qatar Tourism-licensed hotels Qatar Clean certified, the programme is being expanded to restaurants and rolled out to other sectors including transport, retail and culture.

The measures include social distancing, frequent sanitisation of surfaces, and touchless payments, to ensure a safe experience in hotels, shopping malls, and the country’s health clubs and salons.

In addition, Qatar Airways was the first airline to be awarded a five-star Covid-19 Airport Safety Rating by Skytrax, alongside Hamad International Airport (HIA) as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded the same five-star result. Hamad International Airport was also recently granted the ‘Best Airport in the World’ title at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2021.