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Another convention centre, capable of seating 2,500 in its auditorium and another 500 in a theatre, is also being built in Education City to meet the rising demand for conference space.
The country's tourism strategy also includes the construction of a whopping 108 hotels or hotel apartments in Doha, most of which are in the four and five star category, according to official figures. Overall, Qatar hopes to have a total of up to 29,000 luxury rooms available by 2012, and 80,000 hotel rooms in various ranges on offer by 2016.
'No downturn yet'
One hotel that remains optimistic in the face of the economic crisis is the Doha Marriott, which saw occupancy rise about 10% in 2008 and expects the same rise this year.
'So far we have not seen a major downturn,' said Belal Al Kadry, the director of sales and marketing at the hotel. 'We had a very strong month in January, and we have not had any cancellations. But you can see people being a little more cautious with their money now. They are not overdoing it.'
He said the hotel has not done anything out of the ordinary to lure visitors, noting that 'you must always have an offer and a package for your hotel regardless of whether your property is in a busy season or not'.
'We have also made sure that the hotel is not overpriced, or underpriced, compared to the market,' he said. About 85% of the hotel's trade is business or government-related travel, and most of the leisure tourists tend to be in the luxury category.
Al Kadry believes that Qatar's strong economy will ensure that business travel will remain strong for the foreseeable future despite the global financial woes. 'We will be very cautious with our forecasts, and we will have to keep a close eye on the situation. But I haven't seen a company that has negatively forecast their hotel in 2009,' he said.
See also:
Budget hotels see opportunity in Dubai market
Dubai hotels seek to lure guests with discounts
Jeff Florian, Senior Reporter
