Qatar has unveiled investment opportunities for the private sector to develop three beach resorts in Fuwairit, Ben Ghanem and Ras Abrouq as part of the broader public-private partnership (PPP) framework and efforts to enhance the local tourism’s contribution to the country’s non-oil economy.

“As part of its mandate to diversify the economy by developing the tourism sector, Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) works closely with partners across the public and private sectors to build products that showcase our country’s varied offerings and deliver service excellence," secretary general and Qatari Airways group chief executive HE Akbar al-Baker said on Thursday.

Addressing a meet for investors related to the tourism sector, jointly organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) and QNTC, he said through investment opportunities such as these, QNTC engages the private sector in creating tourism offerings that tell Qatar's story while providing unparalleled experiences to visitors and residents alike.

This initiative comes within the framework of the state's efforts to achieve the Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030, aimed at consolidating economic diversification and supporting non-oil sectors, especially the tourism sector.

"The initiative to offer investment opportunities to establish beach resorts in partnership between the public and private sectors was the first of its kind in Qatar and represented an important step in supporting the private sector and enhancing its contribution to achieving the QNV 2030," said Saleh bin Majid al-Khulaifi, assistant undersecretary for commerce affairs at the MoCI.

The tourism sector largely contributes to strengthening Qatar’s leading position as one of the most prominent tourist destinations regionally and globally.

The sector gains prominence in the light of Qatar gearing up to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Doha winning the bid to host the Asian games in 2030.

A new PPP Law No. 12 of 2020 was published on May 31, 2020 to regulate the operation of PPPs in Qatar, which has already been using a form of PPP structure to deliver projects in its water and power sectors, but has recently expanded the PPP model to other sectors.

The PPP was based on a solidly-founded, principled partnership, which allows government sector entities to focus on their specialties, preserve state resources and rationalise their use, al-Khulaifi said.

"It ensures that the government does not compete with private sector institutions and companies and allows both to play key roles as vital partners in shaping the national economy’s future," according to him.

Badr Mohamed al-Meer, chief operating officer at Hamad International Airport, delivered a presentation on the technical specifications of the three investment opportunities to highlight the projects’ geographical locations, areas, facilities and services.

Mohamed al-Adham, director of the PPP department at the MoCI, gave an overview of the partnership contracts to be approved for the three projects, the scope of their operation, the mechanism for selecting the winner, the basic evaluation criteria, and the requirements that must be met by investors while applying for these opportunities, in addition to the obligations to be met by the winning investors.


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