Qatar keeps its tourism upmarket

The Sharq Village & Spa is set to be a new local landmark in Doha when it opens later this year, just before the Asian Games.

Cleverly designed to resemble an ancient desert village while offering every modern convenience to the highest standards of luxury, Sharq Village & Spa is a novel addition to the facilities of Doha. The streets and lanes of Sharq will create a historic sense of place with roaming entertainers playing Arabic music, performing folk dances and reciting poetry.

There will also be a seafood restaurant with freshly caught fish and an international restaurant, plus two strikingly designed swimming pools and a Six Senses spa in the style of a Qatari souq. At the same time wireless Internet access will be available throughout the $110 million hotel which will have only 174 rooms and suites furnished to the most lavish standards.

Onboard lounges

Meantime, visitors to ATM were given a preview of Qatar Airways' revolutionary onboard First Class lounge, which will be introduced on the first of its new Airbus A340-600s being delivered in July. The lounge has its own seating area so passengers can relax and eat in the comfort of their very own exclusive area at 35,000ft.

Qatar Airways is keen to advance its Five-Star carrier status, and claims its First Class lounge will be one of the best in the air. Business Class passengers will also have an onboard lounge, except with a standing area only.

The Doha airline is the launch customer of the High Gross Weight version of the Airbus A340-600, which will be used to operate non-stop flights between Doha and Europe and the United States. Its new livery will also be rolled out from this summer with the arrival of the first A340-600, and the existing fleet of 46 aircraft will be repainted over a 12-month period.

70th destination

Qatar Airways currently operates a fleet of 45 all-Airbus aircraft to 70 destinations from its hub in Doha. Daily flights between Doha and Hong Kong were launched in March, marking the airline's 70th route.

There are also excellent connections to the UAE with a total of 77 flights a week between Doha and the emirates, with seven flights daily to Dubai and four flights a day to Abu Dhabi.

The airline is a launch customer for the A380 Airbus which it expects to arrive in 2009 at the same time as the new Doha International Airport opens which has been specifically designed to handle the new giant of the skies.