To mark World Tourism Day this week, the Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has launched a competition to encourage residents to explore the country.
On Tuesday, Sept. 27, QTA will put up eight life-size photo frames across the country.
Residents who take photos through these frames and upload them to social media using the hashtags #WTD2016 and #ShowcaseQatar are entered into the competition.
This will run from Tuesday to Saturday, Oct. 1, and those who win could get free weekend stays at a local five-star hotel, QTA said.
In a statement, QTA’s PR director Saif Al Kuwari called the competition “a great opportunity to take stock of all that Qatar has to offer.”
He added:
“We hope that residents – citizens and expatriates – whether they have been here for years or recently came to live in Qatar, will discover something new and share it with the world.”
Also during this week, hotels, restaurants and tour operators will be offering special discounted packages to promote local tourism.
They include discounted bed and breakfast, spa treatments, lunch buffets, and special rates for desert safaris, dinner dhow cruises, fishing trips and overnight camping.
The locations of the frames will be announced on QTA’s social media accounts: @VisitQatar and @QTACorporate.
Broader initiative
The competition falls under the theme Tourism For All – Promoting Universal Accessibility, part of a wider global initiative by the United Nations.
Next year, Qatar will serve as the host country for the UN’s World Tourism Day celebrations, under the theme Sustainable Tourism – a Tool for Development, QNA reports.
The country won a vote at the UN Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly in Colombia last week.
The development comes as Qatar is working to boost tourism to diversify its economy.
In addition to holding regular events like the Summer Festival, Qatar is banking on bringing in more cruise visitors this year.
It has also announced plans to soon allow visas-on-arrival for tourists from the populous nations of India, China and Russia.
