| Issue 3

Over the past decade, Qatar’ s tourism industry has developed into one of the country’ s burgeoning trademarks and has an increasingly significant part to play in the Qatari economy.

Whether it’ s relaxing on one of the country’ s sparkling beaches, witnessing the thrill of an international sporting event, or experiencing magnificent displays of art and culture, travelers are beginning to see Qatar as a center of adventure. Tourism will be vital in Qatar’ s efforts to diversify an economy that previously has been driven primarily by oil and natural gas revenues.

Qatar has hosted some of the world’ s premier international sporting events. In addition to the 2011 AFC Asian Cup and 2015 World Handball Championships, Qatar will also host the prestigious FIFA World Cup in 2022, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world to the Gulf peninsula. Additionally, Qatar hosts a number of annual sporting events popular with Americans, including the

Commercial Bank Qatar Masters golf tournament, the Qatar ExxonMobil Tennis Open, the Qatar International Rally( motor sport), and the Commercial Bank Grand Prix of Qatar( Moto GP).

In recent years, the Qatar Masters has featured famed American golfers such as John Daly and Ben Curtis, while participants in the Qatar ExxonMobil Tennis Open have included American legends Serena and Venus Williams. Doha is fast developing a reputation as the sporting capital of the Middle East.

But sports are just the beginning in Qatar’ s evolution into a rich cultural destination. Since 2015, Doha has hosted the annual New York Times“ Art for Tomorrow” conference, which attracts over 200 world-renowned art and cultural influencers from more than 30 countries. The conference invites those with knowledge from all across the globe, and aims to investigate the issues that occupy the territory between art and public life, featuring interviews and solution-oriented discussions

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