SC Secretary-General Highlights Qatar’s Tourism Advancement Following Hosting Major Sports Events

Doha: HE Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) Hassan Al Thawadi emphasized that tourism is the primary beneficiary of major sports tournaments, particularly the FIFA World Cup. He explained that in 2023, Qatar had around 4 million visitors, with the numbers increasing one year after the other. During a panel discussion titled "After the World Cup: Sport, Media and Entertainment in the Arab World" at the Qatar Economic Forum, Al Thawadi said that Qatar has witnessed significant tourism development after hosting major sporting events, the most recent being the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, which recorded unprecedented numbers of attendees from across Asia. He added that FIFA had approved Qatar's request to host the next three editions of the Arab Cup in 2025, 2029, and 2033, following the successful hosting of the 2021 edition in Doha. Al Thawadi added that the coming edition signifies a major milestone in Qatar's future plans. HE the Secretary-General of the Supreme Committe e for Delivery and Legacy highlighted Qatar's interest in hosting sports tournaments and the Olympics, emphasizing their importance in supporting tourism and fostering growth. He emphasized the importance of building on the knowledge and experience gained from hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to achieve further success and accomplishments. He said that the World Cup was the primary reason for all the lessons learned over the 13 years of preparation for the tournament. He noted that the 2022 edition saw the World Cup come to the fans rather than other editions were the fans went to the event, highlighting the potential of sport and its importance in advancing the goals of countries. HE Al Thawadi spoke about the sports, cultural, and artistic industry and its competition for people's attention, especially as the Middle East region undergoes significant transformation in entertainment sector. He stressed the need to adopt the correct approach and support optimal utilization of these diverse activities. H e affirmed that the Arab world is rich with creativity and innovation across various fields, with many stories reflecting the Arab culture and ancient civilization. He added that there is a common language and cultural diversity that allows engagement with other cultures worldwide, but that the ability to translate that creativity into a widely successful content in a commercial sense is still not there. His Excellency acknowledged however that there was a lot of investment in that regard. On the film industry's success in promoting Korean culture alongside its profitability, Al Thawadi emphasized the potential to use this as a model. He highlighted the importance of investing in production roles, necessary infrastructure, and scriptwriting to achieve success on both local and regional levels. He emphasized that the FIFA World Cup is the world's largest sports event that can be leveraged and built upon for long-term success, in addition to the cultural impact resulting from the convergence of many civilizat ions and cultures during these major tournaments. Source: Qatar News Agency