Multi-Tiered Growth Fueling Opportunities in Qatar’s Hotel, Restaurant, And Cafe Industry

Qatar’s remarkable growth path is evident in its hotel, restaurant, and café sectors, as the market readies itself as a tourism hub.  Many suppliers, consultants, and international investors have taken notice and are now capitalizing on the opportunities available in Qatar. The trend is driving new levels of importance and record demand for Qatar’s largest hospitality trade exhibition, Hospitality Qatar 2016, taking place at the state-of-the-art Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) from 18th to 20th October, 2016. 

One of the highlights of Qatar’s growth phase includes the need for more than 33,000 additional hotel rooms to be built prior to the FIFA World Cup 2022. At present, there are 26,653 hotel rooms in Qatar, with an anticipated need of 60,000. The added room capacity is also an integral part of Qatar’s Vision 2030 to transform Qatar into a tourism hub.

The Restaurant and Café industry has also been vibrant and is showing no signs of slowing. The latest reports from BMI Research indicate the value of the Hotel, Restaurant, and Café industry is more than USD 1.6B (up 5.4% versus a year ago). The research anticipates this value will rise another 38% to USD 2.2B by 2020. The growth is fueled by increased investment as well as Qatar’s rising popularity as a destination, especially amongst GCC residents, namely Saudi Arabia.

The growth in the Hotel and the Restaurant, and Café sectors are happening simultaneously, staging a vibrant business environment for companies in the supply chain. This has fueled the response for the oversubscribed Hospitality Qatar 2016 exposition. Companies involved in the franchising, build-out, equipment supply, infrastructure, safety, or maintenance of Hotels, Restaurants, and Cafés are riding the wave of opportunity so unique to Qatar.

Key Sponsors of Hospitality Qatar 2016, including Al Sraiya Hotels & Hospitality Group (diamond sponsor), Askar Industrial Co. (official kitchen sponsor), Boeker Qatar (associate and hygiene sponsor), Inox Kitchen Equipment (associate partner), Americana (silver sponsor), Falcon Technical & Trading Company (registration sponsor), Haidari Trading (fruit & vegetables sponsor), Felchlin, Schapfen & Master Baker (category sponsors) and Nestle, Maggi, Sadia & US Meat Export Federation (live cooking sponsors) are all seeking to claim their share of rising HORECA demand in Qatar and regionally.  

Associate Sponsor, Inox Kitchen Equipment sees value in this event, with Mr. Mohammed Solh, Executive Manager making the following remarks, “This is our second participation in the exhibition, and the reason we joined Hospitality Qatar is because it is the HORECA platform for the industry where we can meet welcoming representatives of many 4 and 5 star hotels and restaurants.” 

Mr. Antoni Johnson, Founder and MD of Falcon Technical & Trading Company remarked on his company’s participation in Hospitality Qatar 2016. “Having been a part of last year’s successful event, Falcon Trading Company saw significant value in being a part of this year’s edition as well. We have found Hospitality Qatar to be an excellent venue to meet industry pros and potential customers.” 

For the second consecutive year, Askar Industrial Co. secured the official kitchen sponsor. Speaking on Askar Industrial’s participation, Imad Askar, Founder and MD, remarked “we have, once again, shown our commitment to Qatar’s culinary scene. It is the ideal way to put our fine kitchen products on display.”

Boecker®, associate & hygiene sponsor, spoke about their involvement and support of HQ. The Country Manager, Carla Ghaleb stated “We are the leading reference in public health, and it is our commitment to present our customers with innovative solutions in Pest Management, Food Safety and Biosecurity. Hospitality Qatar is a vital platform to share our newest practices and approaches. As Qatar is witnessing a substantial growth in hospitality sector, Boecker® is delighted to contribute to the growth of this industry through our yearly strategic partnership with HQ.” 

The Qatar Hospitality exhibition has shown an immediate track record of success with a 100% renewal rate of key sponsors as well as a higher-than-expected exhibitor turnout. Speaking on the rising success of Hospitality Qatar, Project Manager, Rawad Sleem was quoted as saying “this edition of HQ16 is already exceeding our lofty expectations and appears to be fueled by the strong growth in the building of hotels + HORECA expansion in the country. Our unique blend of B2B match-ups and learning sessions has enabled HQ to become the premier show related to hospitality in Qatar. Hospitality Qatar is playing a vital role in helping Qatar be positioned not only as a connecting point, but a place to stay and enjoy with a lively Hotel, Restaurant, and Café scene. We look forward to the highly anticipated 2016 edition of Hospitality Qatar.”