Qatar has unveiled a slate of high-impact tourism initiatives at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2025 in Dubai, underscoring its ambition to position Doha as a leading destination in the region’s travel landscape. Speaking to Qatar News Agency, Eng. Abdulaziz Ali al-Mawlawi, CEO of Visit Qatar, described ATM as one of the world’s most significant tourism events, and a crucial platform for promoting the country’s evolving tourism product.
Al-Mawlawi highlighted the participation of more than 48 Qatari tourism companies at the exhibition, all aiming to strike new partnerships and showcase the unique offerings Qatar has to global travel operators. “We are working to expand our footprint in future international exhibitions and forums,” he said, reinforcing Visit Qatar’s long-term strategy for global outreach.
On the opening day of ATM 2025, Qatar Tourism made headlines by announcing a strategic partnership with Celestyal Cruises. The collaboration will see the deployment of two cruise ships — the MS Celestyal Journey and the MS Celestyal Discovery — during the Winter 2025 cruise season. The announcement was made in the presence of Al-Mawlawi, Chief of Tourism Development Sector Omar al-Jaber, and Celestyal Cruises CEO Chris Theophilides.
Under this agreement, the MS Celestyal Journey will homeport in Doha and operate Gulf cruises, while the MS Celestyal Discovery will make regular calls to Doha Port as part of its wider regional routes. The two vessels are projected to bring over 40,000 cruise passengers and make more than 25 port calls during the season, significantly boosting tourism traffic to Qatar. This builds on the previous season’s success, which saw over 14,000 passengers arriving in Doha via Celestyal cruises.
In a parallel development, Visit Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding with tech giant Huawei, aimed at enhancing digital tourism outreach. The partnership includes the use of Huawei’s Digital Marketing Platform to power data-driven tourism campaigns targeting key markets such as China, Europe, and the GCC. The initiative will also incorporate Huawei’s ecosystem — including Petal Maps, Huawei Wallet, Harmony Atomic Cards, and AI-based travel tools — to enrich the visitor experience.
Additionally, Qatar Tourism, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi), launched a regional partnership to promote twin-centre travel packages. The initiative encourages travellers to combine visits to Doha and Abu Dhabi in one itinerary, creating a seamless multi-city holiday experience and strengthening intra-Gulf tourism cooperation.
The announcements reflect Qatar’s broader tourism strategy to leverage high-profile platforms such as ATM to attract global attention, drive partnerships, and establish Doha as a hub for both leisure and cruise tourism in the Middle East.
