Visitors to Qatar will be truly spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding where to stay in the future, with the emerging destination outlining its plans at World Travel Market 2011.

There are currently 77 new hotels and 42 hotel apartments under construction in the destination, bringing a total of 21,107 new rooms into the Qatari hospitality market.

Many of these are luxury hotels offering the finest service and facilities, including world class restaurants and spas.

In this year alone, it is estimated a stock of 6,369 hotel rooms - comprised of 25 hotels and ten hotel apartments - have come on to the market.

This year also sees the opening of the Qatar National Convention Center at Education City – which will host some of the highest profile events and conferences.

Qatar continues to be chosen as a venue for high profile events and sporting competitions, including the Arab Games and the World Petroleum Congress, both being held in December 2011.

As it gears up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, more than 140 major projects are currently underway as the country focuses its investments on its transportation infrastructure.

Billions have been spent upgrading the extensive road networks connecting the country to the rest of the Middle East.

In addition, the $25 billion, 2,200 km Qatar National Rail Scheme will link to the six-state GCC Railway network, worth $30 billion, from 2017.

The first phase of the New Doha International Airport will open in 2012, and by the time it is fully operational in 2015, an estimated 50 million people will be transiting through the airport each year.

This will establish Doha as a regional hub in the Middle East, as well as a major international gateway.

With Qatar Airways flying to more than 100 destinations and other international carriers flying through Doha, Qatar has never been more accessible.

The first phase of the new $4.4 billion Doha Port will be functioning by 2014.

The port, spread over 20 square kilometres, will be equipped to handle the world’s largest ships, each laden with up to 12,000 containers, therefore increasing the destination’s position as a key trading post.

Additionally, planning is underway for the Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Causeway, the world’s longest suspension bridge, which will link the two countries.

And construction is well advanced on the Lusail City, a development to the north of the capital which will see the creation of a distinctive 21st century iconic city which celebrates the special cultural and geographical heritage of Qatar and the Gulf Region.

Qatar

Located on the shores of the Arabian peninsula, Qatar is a modern and thriving country in the heart of traditional Arabia.

Renowned for its outstanding hospitality, Qatar offers business and leisure travellers a completely unique and unforgettable experience.

With sprawling dunes in the country’s south, sandy coastlines and islets, reefs and salt flats, the small peninsula nation offers as much natural beauty as it does cultural richness.

With its 560 kilometres coastline, Qatar is a community linked with the sea. From a centre for fishing and pearling trades in a bygone era, Qatar’s identity has been shaped by an age-old seafaring civilization, always hosting travellers as welcome guests.

Qatar is a centre of both tradition and innovation and is home to world class educational and research facilities as well as some of the most striking and compelling cultural attractions in the region.

For more information visit the official wesbite.

World Travel Awards

Qatar is recognised as the Middle East’s Leading Business Destination by the prestigious World Travel Awards.

The august body will host its annual Grand Final Gala Ceremony in the capital, Doha in January 2012.