PHOTO
28 February 2017
Prominent Qatari business leaders called on young entrepreneurs to tap into the growing potential of the country’s burgeoning tourism industry, during the recently hosted ‘QBIC Tourism Speaker Series’.
The event, hosted by Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC), in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), featured several leading businessmen from the Qatari business community, which included Ashraf Abu Issa, Chairman and CEO of Abu Issa Holding, Walid Al Jaouni, Founder and Chairman of Qatar International Adventures and Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, Founder of International Spearfishing Academy.
The panel was moderated by Mohamed Al Mahmeed, Head of Tourism Investment Promotion at QTA. The event highlighted a number of important themes in tourism investment, encouraging entrepreneurs to find a unique local proposition and recognise the value of local natural and cultural assets.
Panelists emphasised the critical steps taken by Qatar over the past two years to lay the foundation for the tourism sector, including key policy changes such as the introduction of a new, free 96-hour transit visa.
With plenty of opportunities ahead, panelists encouraged emerging entrepreneurs to be brave, to invest, and to grow together for the future of Qatar.
Qatar is one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the world, and the only country in the Middle East to achieve consistent growth in tourism arrivals over 2005-2015 according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
In recognition of the imporatance of the tourism sector, Qatar’s leadership has designated tourism a priority sector in the nation’s efforts to diversify its economy in pursuit of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Commenting on the session, Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, Qatar Development Bank (QDB) CEO and QBIC Chairman, said: “QDB is proud of the ongoing success that the ‘Speaker Series’ is achieving. Sharing success stories and the challenges that entrepreneurs faced is key to knowledge transfer. Tourism is certainly one of the most important sectors where QDB is making huge efforts to support entrepreneurs so that they can play a pivotal role.”
An initiative supporting QBIC’s mission to develop the next QR100m companies in Qatar, the Speaker Series is a seasonal programme that brings together startups, regional experts, and successful entrepreneurs in a dialogue to encourage investment, growth, and an entrepreneurial mindset, with a focus on practical challenges and opportunities in the market.
During the session, the speakers shed light on the characteristics of a tourism business, the importance of the role that the private sector plays in enhancing the tourism sector through their innovative creativity and investments, the various challenges behind building a business and the products that Qatar needs in the thriving sector, among other topics.
Aysha Al Mudahka, QBIC CEO, said: “QBIC was thrilled to host the second edition of the speaker series on tourism. Entrepreneurship is an exciting yet challenging line of business, QBIC is dedicated to nurture its incubates through providing them with the best support and training on a local and international basis.” The initative aims at bridging the gap between budding entrepreneurs, and successful professionals.
Prominent Qatari business leaders called on young entrepreneurs to tap into the growing potential of the country’s burgeoning tourism industry, during the recently hosted ‘QBIC Tourism Speaker Series’.
The event, hosted by Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC), in partnership with Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), featured several leading businessmen from the Qatari business community, which included Ashraf Abu Issa, Chairman and CEO of Abu Issa Holding, Walid Al Jaouni, Founder and Chairman of Qatar International Adventures and Dr Jamal Rashid Al Khanji, Founder of International Spearfishing Academy.
The panel was moderated by Mohamed Al Mahmeed, Head of Tourism Investment Promotion at QTA. The event highlighted a number of important themes in tourism investment, encouraging entrepreneurs to find a unique local proposition and recognise the value of local natural and cultural assets.
Panelists emphasised the critical steps taken by Qatar over the past two years to lay the foundation for the tourism sector, including key policy changes such as the introduction of a new, free 96-hour transit visa.
With plenty of opportunities ahead, panelists encouraged emerging entrepreneurs to be brave, to invest, and to grow together for the future of Qatar.
Qatar is one of the fastest growing tourism destinations in the world, and the only country in the Middle East to achieve consistent growth in tourism arrivals over 2005-2015 according to the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
In recognition of the imporatance of the tourism sector, Qatar’s leadership has designated tourism a priority sector in the nation’s efforts to diversify its economy in pursuit of Qatar National Vision 2030.
Commenting on the session, Abdulaziz bin Nasser Al Khalifa, Qatar Development Bank (QDB) CEO and QBIC Chairman, said: “QDB is proud of the ongoing success that the ‘Speaker Series’ is achieving. Sharing success stories and the challenges that entrepreneurs faced is key to knowledge transfer. Tourism is certainly one of the most important sectors where QDB is making huge efforts to support entrepreneurs so that they can play a pivotal role.”
An initiative supporting QBIC’s mission to develop the next QR100m companies in Qatar, the Speaker Series is a seasonal programme that brings together startups, regional experts, and successful entrepreneurs in a dialogue to encourage investment, growth, and an entrepreneurial mindset, with a focus on practical challenges and opportunities in the market.
During the session, the speakers shed light on the characteristics of a tourism business, the importance of the role that the private sector plays in enhancing the tourism sector through their innovative creativity and investments, the various challenges behind building a business and the products that Qatar needs in the thriving sector, among other topics.
Aysha Al Mudahka, QBIC CEO, said: “QBIC was thrilled to host the second edition of the speaker series on tourism. Entrepreneurship is an exciting yet challenging line of business, QBIC is dedicated to nurture its incubates through providing them with the best support and training on a local and international basis.” The initative aims at bridging the gap between budding entrepreneurs, and successful professionals.
© The Peninsula 2017
