Three years back, roughly around the same time of

the year, the whole of Qatar waited with bated breath,

only to be disappointed in the end. Doha had bid for
the hosting rights of the 2017 World Championships,
but lost out to London in a two-horse race, by 16 votes
to 10.
Exactly 20 days from now, in Monaco on November
18, the IAAF (International Association of Athletics
Federations) will decide on the host city for the 2019
World Championships. And Doha is in the race again,
with the rival challengers being the cities of Barcelona
(Spain) and Eugene (USA).
This time round, the Qatari capital has submitted an
even stronger bid le for the 19 edition.
Eugene (USA) and Barcelona (Spain) will be Dohas
challengers. Dohas bid book, which includes some
of the ideas from the 2017 le as well as new ones, is
ambitious in scope.
The most impressive promise is the setting up of an
Athletes City for the rst time in the competitions
history. The Msheireb Downtown Doha project, spread
over 35 hectares, will be converted into the Athletes
City for the event. It
is situated just 10km
away from the Khalifa
International Stadium,
the proposed venue.
The Khalifa stadium,
which hosted the
opening and closing
ceremonies of the
2006 Doha Asian Games as well as the athletics
competitions, is currently undergoing renovation and
should be ready in two years time. Once complete, the
state-of-the-art stadium will boast of the worlds rst
100m long video wall-screen. It will also be able to
screen multiple events simultaneously.
Qatar Athletics Federation president Dahlan al-
Hamad is both excited and condent about the citys
bid. Were delighted to have submitted our bid to host
the 2019 World Championships. Weve a unique bid
thatll utilise our proven experience of hosting world-
class events, our existing state-of-the-art facilities
and world-leading sporting innovation to deliver an
exceptional World Championships in a new region,
said al-Hamad.
Eugene is likely to be Dohas toughest challenger.
That the IAAF Worlds has never visited the USA since
its inception in 1983 will be their rallying cry. For
Barcelona, which had to withdraw from the 2017 race
due to negative public perception, popular support for
the bid is doubtful.
An IAAF Evaluation Commission, led by Lord
Sebastian Coe, who is also a vice-president of the
IAAF, is already in Doha to check and evaluate the
facilities, having already done the same in Barcelona
and Eugene before this.
The Commission will analyse the capabilities of
each contender in a number of areas, based on careful
study of the bidding documents and on-site visits, and
submit its report to the IAAF Council on November
7. The host city for the 2019 Worlds will be decided
in Monaco by the IAAF Council on November 18,
following nal presentations by the three candidate
cities.
The wait, hopefully, will prove to be a fruitful one
this time.
P.O.Box 2888
Doha, Qatar
editor@gulf-times.com
Telephone 44350478 (news),
44466404 (sport), 44466636 (home delivery)
Fax 44350474
Chairman: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Attiyah
Editor-in-Chief : Darwish S Ahmed
Production Editor: C P Ravindran
Gulf Times
Thursday, October 30, 2014
COMMENT
32
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The most
impressive
promise is the
setting up of an
Athletes City
More than 50,000 visitors
from 180 countries together
with 5,000 exhibitors are
expected at World Travel
Market next week
By Updesh Kapur
Doha
E
very November, London takes
centre stage for an industry
that continues to excite and
pamper hundreds of millions
of people looking for a journey into
dreamland.
The British capital once again
comes under the spotlight as travel
professionals fromaround the
world descend on London for four
days of serious business, important
networking and, a bit of fun.
World Travel Market, one of the
biggest travel shows in the world,
unites buyers and sellers fromevery
conceivable sector of the industry
and fromall parts of the globe. WTM,
as it is commonly known, is a travel
industry institution.
Fromairlines, hotels, cruise lines
and car rental companies to travel
technology providers, tour operators,
destination management companies
and the MICE meetings, incentives,
conferences and exhibitions market,
all will be out in force for the annual
get-together.
The ExCel exhibitionandconference
centre ineast Londons Docklands will
become a colourful spectacle from
next Mondayas visitors, manywearing
national dress, make their waybytrain,
taxi andexecutive cars for a showthat
is rmlyrootedinthe travel industrys
annual calendar.
State and national tourismboards
will take pride of place representing
regions and countries with exquisite
exhibition stands showcasing the best
attributes of their homeland.
Traditional music and dance
performances, delightful costumes
and appearances by celebrities
promoting destinations are all part of
WTM culture. Colour, glamour and
star spotting go hand in hand at WTM.
FromThailand, India, Singapore,
Australia, Dubai and Japan to Kenya,
South Africa, Morocco, Iceland,
Canada, the US and not forgetting
home territory Britain, London opens
up to the world for almost a week.
Senior executives fromdomestic,
regional and global hotel chains will be
on hand to talk about their latest urban
and resort properties, and indeed
provide insight into newsub brands
that many have announced since last
years WTM to join their ever-growing
international portfolios.
And of course there are the
obligatory press conferences to unveil
newinitiatives and products and latest
reports on travel trends. Seminars
and mini-conferences will appeal
to delegates keen on hearing from
thought leaders, industry experts
and senior travel executives on issues
afecting the world of travel from
both a suppliers and consumers
perspective.
This year is no diferent. For sure,
amid the fervour of WTMs high-
prole status, one story will dominate
news coming out of the event. For
the media attending, there will be
particular interest in the pavilions
housing the African contingent.
The deadly Ebola crisis that has hit
West Africa, badly hitting economies
of several nations with the threat of
becoming a global epidemic, will be
high on the agenda of seminars and
during interviews with journalists
quizzing executives for fresh angles on
this rapidly developing story.
Nearly 5,000 people have died from
the Ebola outbreak which has mainly
afected Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone. Not exactly travel hotspots,
but with airlines expanding operations
into these countries before the crisis
hit and air travel all about connecting
people between diferent parts of the
world, the big talking point will be
howthe global travel industry will be
afected with what is being reported as
a potential epidemic.
With Ebola cases already in Europe
and the US, what is the impact on both
the African and global travel industry?
Some nations have imposed a visa ban
on people travel fromparts of Africa.
The impact of the disease has
potentially far-reaching consequences
for West Africa, Africa and the world,
said South African billionaire Patrice
Motsepe this week after pledging to
donate $1mn to Guinea to help the
country ght Ebola.
It is a global issue whichrequires
the global communitytoworktogether
andbringanendtothe disease.Despite
the crisis, it will be business as usual at
WTM, nowinits 35thyear.
Evenings will be lled with
numerous parties across London.
Fromthe exclusive dinners with
captains of industry to events
thrown by travel suppliers at hotels,
restaurants and unique venues, party
hopping mania hits the city after
WTMs day-time activities.
Tourismministers will y into
London this weekend ahead of their
meetings with travel professionals
at WTM, the worlds second largest
annual travel fair after ITB Berlin in
the German capital.
With every destination having its
own unique selling point appealing
to diferent market segments in all
countries, there will be an element of
competition to secure deals and those
important marketing dollars to lure a
greater number of visitors next year
and beyond.
Last year, WTM generated more
than $3.7bn worth of contracts. These
included agreements between tourist
boards and tour operators to feature
destinations in newholiday packages.
More than 50,000 visitors from
180 countries together with 5,000
exhibitors are expected at WTM next
week. Of these, 3,000 will be media
fromtravel trade magazines, national
newspapers, broadcasters, online
portals and blogging sites.
For the travelling media, tour
operators and travel agents, getting to
London will not be a problem.
At a time whenthe travel industry
traditionallyenters a leanseasonal
period, airlines andhotels will be
more thanwillingtoshowcase the
best of their products byyingand
accommodatingmanyinuential
WTMvisitors. All part of the marketing
eforts toshowcase and, insome cases,
introduce, their best be theypremium
aircraft cabins or luxuryhotel suites.
Theres nothing known as a free
lunch in the travel industry, but the
hospitality ofered is a thank you
acknowledgement by the industry to
travel partners who sell their products.
Hotels across London will
be hosting many travel agents,
tour operators and destination
management companies and of
course the media giving thema
chance to sample and stay in new
properties or renovated hotels
recognising loyalty for providing
ongoing business.
FromQatar, a large delegation of
over two dozen companies will be
travelling to London with the Qatar
TourismAuthority taking the lead
with its own pavilion.
Among the exhibitors are Marriott
Marquis City Centre Doha Hotel,
recently rebranded to bring all three
of its properties Courtyard by
Marriott, Renaissance Doha and
Marriott Executive Apartments
under a single brand entity.
Qatar-owned Al Rayyan Hospitality
will be talking about its soon-to-open
newultra luxury Banana Island Resort
Doha by Anantara, an idyllic 32-acre
holiday retreat featuring Maldives-
style villas perched above the water in
tranquil surroundings.
Al Rayyan is also developing two
other properties, the Hilton Salwa
Beach Resort and Villas and Al Messila
Resort &VIP Spa in Qatar which it will
promote at WTM for the rst time.
AdelegationfromKatara Hospitality,
whichowns, develops andmanages
hotels aroundthe world, will be onhand
toshare news about its portfoliothat
stretches fromthe under refurbishment
SheratonDoha Resort andConvention
Centre, the Royal SavoyLausanne, The
Peninsula Paris, the renownedRaf es
Singapore andthe Chiva-Somluxury
healthresort inThailand.
Doha-based Regency Holidays will
be looking to strike newpackages with
travel suppliers for the year ahead for
both its inbound business into Qatar
and selling outbound to the world.
So a global platformof World Travel
Market is seen as a perfect base to
meet industry peers under one roof.
For the rst time, WTM features
an exhibitor selling tours to the
isolated and secretive state of North
Korea. Whether you want to run
in the Pyongyang Marathon in the
North Korean capital next April, visit
ancient temples or ski in the countrys
uncrowded mountain slopes, tour
operator Experience North Korea is
open for business.
The travel company hopes to
promote its unique pioneering ofering
and, at the same time, challenge
perceptions about North Korea during
discussions for newbusiness. Fewer
than 5,000 foreigners enter North
Korea each year.
We always joke and say that going
to North Korea is like going to another
planet. So, efectively, its the cheapest
trip to outer space you can buy, says
Shanghai-based Nathalie Armengol,
who runs the tour operating company
which begins and ends all trips in the
Chinese capital Beijing.
Aforumfeaturing the worlds
leading luxury travel and tourism
brands and global luxury travel
buyers will provide a key networking
opportunity to promote latest
products.
Ahigh-prole panel of luxury
travel specialists will also share new
research on af uent travellers and
debate howthe theory and practice of
selling luxury travel to newcustomers
is changing.
And women in travel will be the
focus of an interesting seminar that
is likely to generate some interesting
write-ups into the relationship
between female travellers and the
travel sector.
It will look at successful women
travel entrepreneurs and address how
the travel industry can play a key
role in enhancing the lives of women
around the world.
Abit of retail therapy in the duty
free industry will be the subject of
a session on a sector that is often
overlooked yet is a vital element of the
burgeoning global travel industry.
Worth over $60bn in worldwide
sales every year, the duty free and
travel retail industry helps airports
fund vital enhancements to their
infrastructure, and remains for many
travellers an integral part of the travel
experience.
Fromthe abolition of intra-EU duty
free in 1999 through to the recent
application of the so-called one-bag
rule, the market is subject to sudden,
imposed change that afects its ability
to support the wider travel industry.
The session will also look at the
issues it currently faces and why they
matter to the entire travel chain.
So, next time youtravel, spare a
thought about the process behindthe
scenes inputtingtogether your ight,
accommodationandholidaypackage,
andthe challenges the worlds biggest
industrybothfaces andcontinues to
face.
zUpdesh Kapur is a PR &
communications professional,
columnist, aviation, hospitality
and travel analyst, social and
entertainment writer. He can be
followed on twitter @updeshkapur
London opens up to the world
as travel show draws thousands
Promotional staf at Thai Airways International welcoming WTM visitors at last years show.
2019 Worlds bid:
Doha should win
it this time
WTM visitors will dress for the occasion as seen here by a Kenyan Massai waiting
for the London tube at last years travel show.