CEO, Regency Travel & Tours, Tareq Abdullatif Taha speaks exclusively to Natalie Hami on the company’s exciting developments as well as how he sees Qatar’s tourism industry evolving.
TTG: What tourism segments is your business focusing on and why? How are you enhancing your offering for these specific segments?
For Regency Travel & Tours (RTT) the outbound segment has been the bigger piece of the pie, be it leisure or business travel. The split between business travel and leisure has always been proportionate and is likely to stay that way. However, the segment we are increasingly focusing on, is inbound tourism. We foresee that Qatar tourism will grow substantially in the coming years, owing not only to the interest around Qatar WC 2022, but also due to the increase in conventions and international conferences making Qatar a global convention hub, awareness and genuine interest in exploring Qatar as a tourist destination and Qatar Airways’ increasingly strategic role in the global aviation scene by adding routes and destinations. On our part, RTT is in the process of revamping our inbound tourism offering and regularly showcasing Qatar at global tourism platforms. Last year we opened a luxury desert camp; unique in many other ways, it is one of a kind in Qatar.
TTG: Share with our readers your latest and most exciting news.
The launch of our OTA www.myholidays.com in January 2016; the opening of two new retail outlets in April 2016 and the launch of our loyalty rewards programme by Q3 of 2016-17. In addition to Regency Travel & Tours corporate website set for launch in September 2016.
TTG: What types of experiences would you recommend to a first-time leisure visitor to Qatar or a business traveller looking to see the key sights, on a busy schedule?
We would recommend exploring Qatar by walking tours, guided city tours and specific tours such as museum and art tours. The desert would definitely be a highlight for anybody visiting Qatar or transiting through – we would highly recommend a visit and stay at Regency Sealine Camp to complete the desert experience. There are very interesting sites around Doha, sites of archaeological significance that may interest many visitors. Last but not the least, an evening dhow cruise to view the beautiful sunset and Doha skyline from a vantage point would be highly recommended.
TTG: What is your strategy for the remainder of this year and 2017?
Given the existing market and global economic situation our key focus this year is sustainability and scalability. We are utilising technology to generate incremental business and higher margins by creating alternate streams of revenue. Our strategy is to continue investing in our people through training and development, offering innovative product lines and value added services, as well as launching our own loyalty reward programme to increase customer loyalty and retention.
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