Qatar is 90% ready for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making significant strides that will raise its profile globally, Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) Secretary-General and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive HE Akbar al-Baker has said.
Addressing a Doha Forum session yesterday titled ‘Protecting the Benefits of Tourism in a Multilateral World’, he said this is for the first time that the FIFA World Cup is going to take place in this region and in a Muslim-majority country.
Referring to the preparations, he said, “we are always ahead of what we have to deliver”. He was joined by Jordan’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Majd Mohamed Shweikeh, United Nations World Tourism Organisation secretary-general Zurab Pololikashvili, Tunisia’s Minister of Tourism And Handicrafts Rene Trabelsi and Petra National Trust President of the Board and Unesco Goodwill ambassador Princess Dana Firas.
The discussion was moderated by CNN anchor Zain Asher.
The two-day conference, held under the theme ‘Reimagining Governance in a Multipolar World’ at Sheraton Doha, delved into several topics, including trends and technology; trade and investment; human capital and inequality; security; cybergovernance and defence; international organizations; civil society and non-state actors; and culture and identity.
“What is very important is that this (hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup) will really showcase my country, its innovation, its capability, its culture, its heritage, everything that we are so proud in this country, we will be able to showcase into the world , and most importantly, Qatar’s capability to host an international event like FIFA (World Cup),” HE al-Baker said.
“Even major countries sometimes have difficulty, we have already seen, FIFA took place in several very large economies and very large countries, till the last day they were still preparing for the occasion,” he noted.
As the host of the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, he said this major sporting event serves as “the first step of the rehearsal” for the 2022 tournament – a preview of what Qatar can deliver.
“You have seen how we have been managing a very complex situation where more than a game is taking place here, we have just finished the Gulf tournament (24th Arabian Gulf Cup), which was again a success,” HE al-Baker said, citing the multiple matches held at different stadiums in the country.
“So, we are really prepared, and what is very important is that every Qatari is extremely excited ... and not only Qataris but also the people that have been living in Qatar, who have taken part in developing my country, are really looking forward to this huge occasion that will be taking place in our country soon,” he said.
HE al-Baker underscored the important role sports plays in bringing nations and people together, citing the success and achievement of the recently held Arabian Gulf Cup in Doha. “During the Gulf Cup, you realized how we were all together, regardless without borders, we were appreciating the Gulf Cup, we were sharing the teams, people from all the countries took part, all the countries were invited, and we respected every single team that went here as people, as people from the Gulf, as Arabs together,” he said.
By Joey Aguilar
