Home » Tourism News » Qatar Tourism Board teams up with Port of Barcelona to improve operational efficiency
Saturday, July 27, 2024
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Qatar Tourism visited the Port of Barcelona to exchange expertise and insights, with a focus on improving operational efficiency and adopting international best practices.
A Qatari delegation comprising members from the Qatar Tourism Authority, the Standing Committee for Maritime and Port Management, Mwani and the General Directorate of Customs recently paid an official visit to the tourist port of Barcelona, Spain. The purpose of the visit was to interact with the Spanish port’s management team and gain insights into best practices, operational workflows, visitor services, cruise ship handling, and port security and safety protocols.
The three-day visit is part of Qatar’s efforts to strengthen cruise tourism, with a focus on exchanging expertise and enhancing operational and logistics services that are crucial to the growth of the cruise industry in the country.
On the first day, the Qatari delegation inspected the cruise ship terminal and vessels and met with Spanish port authorities to understand their operational systems, workload management and tourism activity levels. The program also included a thorough review of the latest security measures, coordination of vessel booking procedures between various port authorities and prioritization processes.
A joint workshop at the port brought together the Qatari delegation and officials from the Port of Barcelona. The workshop provided valuable insights into passenger entry and exit systems, along with innovative solutions to efficiently manage tourist flows in one of Spain’s main landmarks. In addition, a comparative analysis of procedures and efficiency between the Port of Spain and the Port of Doha was also conducted.
Commenting on the visit, Omar Al Jaber, Acting Director of Tourism Development at Qatar Tourism Authority, said: “Qatar has emerged as a leading global destination for cruise tourism, featuring prominently in popular cruise itineraries in the region. The significant growth of Qatar’s cruise tourism sector is a testament to our constructive collaboration and continued coordination with our partners. The recently concluded 2023-2024 cruise season was a great success, both in terms of cruise ship visits and total visitor numbers.”
He continued: “The visit to the Port of Barcelona was aimed at gaining insight into the latest systems and services to enhance the tourism experience of tourists arriving at the Port of Doha. This is in line with our commitment to continuously improve and innovate to provide a memorable experience for tourists visiting Qatar.”
Doha Port has been transformed into a major hub for international cruise ships, especially due to recent major developments. These improvements include the establishment of a large passenger reception facility, enabling the port to accommodate two large ships at the same time and manage around 12,000 passengers daily.
The cruise industry is now an important part of Qatar’s tourism strategy and has shown high growth rates in recent years, with 73 ships calling at Doha Port in the 2023-2024 season alone.
