Culture & Tourism

As an ancient pearl fishing centre, Qatar was once part of an historic trade network stretching across the Indian Ocean and connecting the merchants of Arabia and East Africa to South Asia. The modern state continues to show a commitment to building on its cosmopolitan history to attract travellers to its shores and expand its dynamic tourism offerings. The five pillars targeted for development to promote sector growth are: MICE, culture, education, sports and leisure. Certainly, challenges remain; one issue currently being addressed is infrastructure congestion. However, development of niche tourism segments complements long-term diversification plans by expanding the knowledge-based areas of the tourism economy.