00:03I think Qatar is like a hidden gem
00:05that people don't know enough about
00:07and when we bring our products, it brings people
00:10with them.
00:14From live
00:15cooking demonstrations to the latest
00:17technology, Hospitality
00:19Qatar offers a glimpse of how the industry
00:21is evolving. Now in
00:23its 11th year, the exhibition
00:25has brought together 120 companies
00:28including 30 from overseas
00:30and for the businesses taking
00:32part, it's also a chance to look
00:34at the challenges ahead.
00:36Actually, what's changing
00:38in this industry is the focus on
00:40technology and integrating
00:41technology to get the best out
00:43of the sector. So now you integrate
00:46technology and AI and everything
00:48to make it more productive,
00:50to make it less positive and so on.
01:03Qatar's hospitality industry has
01:05transformed over the past decade
01:07with new restaurants, hotels
01:09and a growing tourism market.
01:11But the challenge now isn't just
01:13attracting new visitors, it's giving
01:14them a reason to come back.
01:18More than 5 million international visitors
01:20came to Qatar last year.
01:22And with so many hotels and restaurants
01:24to choose from, there's plenty of
01:26competition. For one
01:28hotel group, that means rethinking
01:30what it offers guests.
01:33We observe that the customer,
01:35they are looking for more experience.
01:38So for that, we are trying to be
01:40more dynamic around our
01:42environment here in Qatar to
01:44propose to the guests to explore
01:46Qatar, to go to the event, to
01:48explore new places here in Qatar.
01:51And there's another challenge for
01:52hotels here. What visitors think
01:55they know about Qatar before they arrive?
01:58The biggest surprise, to be honest,
02:00it's always the same thing.
02:02We never thought that Qatar is
02:04like this. They think it's a
02:05dessert, but they are well
02:07surprised by the hospitality
02:09industry here in Qatar.
02:12And hotels are also noticing a
02:14change in where their guests are
02:16coming from.
02:18We are exploring a new guest market
02:21because the market here in Qatar
02:23basically is based on the
02:24GCC country.
02:26But right now, we are observing
02:28that a new market is opening to
02:30Qatar. We are seeing more guests
02:32coming from Europe, from USA.
02:47It's not just tourists taking an
02:49interest in Qatar.
02:51Spain is one of the world's biggest
02:53tourism destinations, and its
02:55businesses are also looking for
02:57opportunities here.
02:59The Spain-Qatar Chamber of Commerce is
03:01helping make those connections, with
03:03companies bringing everything from food
03:05products to technology.
03:08I'd say Spain is really good at
03:10socializing and creating business, so
03:12we also like to come into Qatar and
03:14make a close relationship with our
03:17customers and with our other members
03:19that we have. So I'd say a great way
03:21to be is just to be open and friendly
03:23and just create business in a more
03:25laid-back structure, which I think
03:27Qatar does really well as well.
03:29And one Spanish company has already
03:31found an opportunity. Barcelona-based
03:34Explorance recently opened an office
03:37in Doha, bringing its travel technology
03:39to the local market.
03:42If you go to the Visit Qatar app
03:45application, you download, you have
03:47opened, there is a session called
03:49Wallet. So all the interactions and
03:52like rewards and points related with the
03:55tourist experience in the destination is
03:57connected to our technology, so we're
03:59helping them to connect many ecosystems.
04:02So how does that work for visitors?
04:04Well, the idea is to use rewards and
04:07incentives to encourage people to try
04:09something new. That could mean
04:11discovering a local attraction or
04:13business they might otherwise have
04:14missed.
04:16So the same, we help them to drive the
04:19visitor experience to another place with
04:22the same type of interest or the same
04:24amount of activities, but not that much
04:27famous on the internet.
04:33For Qatar, the next challenge isn't
04:36simply bringing more tourists through
04:38the door. It's making sure they leave
04:41with something worth remembering.
04:44Thank you.
04:45Thank you.
04:56Thank you.
