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Doha performs strongly in terms of business activity and cultural exchange, driven by strong movement toward a new city model and investments in cultural projects
Doha, Qatar – Doha ranks third, in A. T. Kearney’s latest report ‘Global Cities of the Future, a GCC Perspective’, developed for the World Government Summit 2017. Infrastructure mega-projects, hosting large political conferences, and investment in the education and travel sectors are key to achieving this position.
According to the global management consulting firm’s report, Doha is the region’s third-most global city, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The city has seen strong growth in political influence through hosting conferences such as the Arab League Summit in 2013 and the World Climate Summit in 2012. Doha has also established a strong reputation amongst leading international schools and universities, while simultaneously embarking on ambitious infrastructure mega-projects to support future events such as the World Cup 2022. Additionally, Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways have made great strides in increasing the number of international travelers to Doha, making it the second-busiest hub for Middle East travel.
Antoine Nasr, partner with A.T. Kearney and co-author of the report, said: “Doha has grown rapidly over the past few years, and the city’s future continues to look bright, reinforced by the world’s highest GDP per capita. Through strategic investments and a focus on key socio-economic development goals, the government is well on its way to achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030 to create harmony between human development, a global society, diversified economy and a sustainable environment.”
On an international scale, New York, London and Paris remain unchallenged as the world’s most global cities, although the attractiveness of London as a global hub may change in the future given the Brexit vote. Meanwhile, the A.T. Kearney Global Cities Outlook identifies Melbourne, San Francisco and Geneva as cities that could make great leaps forward in the coming years, driven by changing policies and a shifting landscape.
“At a greater scale and speed than ever before, cities face unprecedented growth of human and societal needs, and at the same time look to boost their economic productivity and competitiveness to increasingly stratospheric levels to be relevant and win in the global stage. Evidently no two cities are the same, and any city looking to play in this league must define its unique position and points of sustainable differentiation and competitive advantage,” added Mauricio Zuazua, partner with A.T. Kearney and co-author of the report.
Since 2008, A. T. Kearney has been studying the factors that make a city truly global. These factors include whether the city has influence and power on the global landscape, shares ideas and values that impact other cities, and if the city is attracting capital and talent from around the world. The Global Cities of the Future report provides a unique assessment of the global engagement for major GCC cities, measuring how engaged each city is in five dimensions – business activity, human capital, information exchange, cultural experience and politics.
Antoine Nasr, partner with A.T. Kearney and co-author of the report, stated: “As regional cities continue to build their global influence, we expect to see strategies founded on increased innovation and differentiation. The approach we use to evaluate global cities of the future incorporates measures of both current performance and future potential of cities to attract and retain global capital, people and ideas alike.”
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About A.T. Kearney
A.T. Kearney is a leading global management consulting firm with offices in more than 40 countries. Since 1926, we have been trusted advisors to the world's foremost organizations. A.T. Kearney is a partner-owned firm, committed to helping clients achieve immediate impact and growing advantage on their most mission-critical issues. For more information, visit www.atkearney.com.
For further information, please contact:
Anja Vinter
A.T. Kearney
Anja.vinter@atkearney.com
Phone: +971 44575000
© Press Release 2017
