Need your opionion please!

Thank youuu Chichi.

This is my last week in doha which means just one more week to go for my data collection. So far everyone has been of great help with voicing their opinions. More opinions are more than welcome. So please keep them coming and if you know of other would like to say something that would be great.

Thank youu once again.

Caters mostly on business travellers, holds conventions or forums and sports activities like tennis, football, motorbike, etc.

High season: October - May (winter)

Low season: April - September (summer - ramadan for mostly locals are travelling outside Doha)

Best selling tours are desert safari and dhow cruise

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mai lain pa!

thank you PM...any other opinions?

I would suggest you might try surveying students at QU, which would give you a high concentration of Qatari students. If you can survey in English and Arabic, you will probably get good data.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

Thank you PM for the feedback. I know I should be expressing myself in standard English, but it is a blog, I thought I could get away with it =).

My data collection is not only based on this, but on survey distribution.

It would be great if I get more opinions, everyone's contribution is highly appreciated.

Thank you.

Because really they are the only "locals" that count and I think there is a HUGE gap between what they want and what others would like to see here.

As for whether things will change over time, who knows? But in the long time that I have been here I would say that in the past 20-3 years I see things getting far more conservative and the level of tolerance to culture outside of conservative Islamic culture declining. I don't think they will become more tolerant; I expect them to become less so, especially as a result of what they see as having their own culture threatened by the "opening up" of some aspects of society here.

A word of unsolicited advice: If you want to be taken seriously as a grad student doing research you should consider expressing yourself in standard English. "Wut", "u" and "thanx". Furthermore, research should reflect an appropriate sampling; not simply posting on an internet website (although maybe you have done that).

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

okay so building on Olive's point..wut kind of entertainment or events are locals more likely to accept? are all locals against the current entertainment provided?

do u think this situation and their disapproval would change over-time?

hossrider..never mind .. as of me in qatar.. we dont have anything other than shopping malls, sand dunes...

thanks for the support angelinaballerina and olive.

Nic: i do not need to explain myself to u or anyone else. U might want to read my previous post and take note of the fact that "I used to live here, and now Ive come back for 6weeks to do the research".

thanx again those who showed their support.

To further what AngelinaBallerina said, the thesis doesn't need to be done in the classroom either. It can be done from anywhere.

Frankly I think the question is interesting, who cares if she's "credible" or not. Hossrider the fact of the matter is that while some expat residents may like an increase in tourism and the entertainment that comes with it, the locals would not. They aren't even happy with the small amount of entertainment there is now. And here in Qatar there word is law.

actually 'nic' there IS indeed a research part of a Masters.....its called a 'Thesis' FYI......

Oh FFS you lot, let the poor girl ask questions, it doesn't matter whether she is credible or not, she asked a bloody question!!!Either help her and be constructive or leave the nasty comments for some of the real worthless topics on here! Jeezz....lets hope you lot don't need help from QL, ever, all you will get back is a load of unhelpful cynical shyte!!!

Qatar is trying to be a sports tourism destination....

PM and Sandeep,

Your suspicion is right.

He/she keeps saying that he/she is in Canada and (not to cleaver) keeps repeating "here in Doha" instead of "there in Doha". If he/she was really in Canada, he/she would naturally write "there in Doha".

Now he/she will come with an excuse to justify the spotted mistake.

This isn’t any research level of any master degree. Any one who has attended college would spot the fakeness of this "research", profile and the poor English skills.

Masters in Tourism seems a soft degree to me. Sorry to say that but I'm sure the world does not need many more tourism graduates if at all.

Maybe you should pick a different country to study. How about Dubai and what they have achieved in 20 years.

i didnt refer to businessmen or families who live here..i said businessmen who come to conferences are considered tourists as they come for wut is called MICE tourism (tourism for meetings, conferences, exhibitions), and by families i meant those who come to visit their families here in doha...

yes tourism is something completely different from making qatar a better place...but based on research done by many scholars tourism has increased entertainment in countries, revitalized tradition and folkore performances, in other countries it has negatively affected the socio-cultural characteristic of the country. what im lookin into is the attitudes of residents here in Doha towards the tourism development taking place(and there is tourism development).

p.s. if i am not credible as a student then my research proposal wouldnt have been approved by my committee members,so please do not insult me by saying so. Thank you

PM did you read my written expression?

and I am surprised that if you are actually pursuing a graduate degree in the field that you don't even know what the definition of "tourist" is.

Tourism is something completely different from making Qatar a more pleasant place for people who live her.

Sorry but your credibility as a student and professional is slipping, especially in regard to your idea of "doing research" and your written expression.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

unfortunately 'exiledsaint' ive been workin on this project for a year and a half now...it might be a waste of time for u and many others but its an important topic for my degree and myself!

i used to think the same when i lived here..that there was no tourism, no tourists and nothing to see...but now that im back and ive stepped out of the box, i do see tourists around, its not as obvious as other countries but they are around, businessmen, families of those who live here, friends, theyre all considered tourists. everyones been talkin bout how bad its been in doha lately and how theres nothing to do...but how would everyones attitudes or feelings change if tourism was to increase lets say to dubais level atleast?

My opinion is you should stop wasting your time with this and find a real subject. For the future I advise you not to write stupid things in your profile trying to be funny if you want people to take you seriously.

In my 11 years here, I see things going backwards. And that means tourism will not be an interest of most or successful for the few who want to make money from tourists' dollars.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

They are part of the organized crime here that involves drugs and prostitution.

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

"tourism industry". To be honest, there is not much here that one would go out of their way to see and the conservative social values are at odds with what most people think of when they want to take a holiday somewhere. When a woman can be thrown out of a shopping mall for exposing her shoulders and availability of alcohol is a thorn in the side of many here (not to mention the fact that transportation presents a problem if you have to rely on taxis), I have a very hard time considering Qatar as a tourism destination. After all, what would you actually think people would be attracted to in Qatar that would draw them to spend their hard earned expendable income on coming here for?

I didn't drink the kool-aid! -- PM

ok so back to the topic... as residents here would u like to see more tourists come here? would u encourage (more) tourism development? do u think it would be beneficial to the people of Doha, to the cultural and social aspects of the country?

I used to live here, did my undergrad here too. When i went for my masters I realised thats there's very limited academic work and research on countries over here and since I was kind-of familiar with qatar, I thought I'd do it based on this small country....if ur interested (and once my research is done), ill have a summary of my results and findings, for you to look at.

wow! its amazing how people look at the negative and are so pessimistic and skeptical of others. i posted it for her through mine because she didnt have an account, plain and simple. its funny how people are ready to jump off their seats and point someone out!

theres no nailing to be done here, i am giving my opinion and experiences on a blog, in something permanent (writing) rather than just spoken words. for a university dissertation u cant say this person said this, you need concrete evidence! and i am just contributing to this discussion.

whats the hoohaa about? nobody is asking you to divulge secret personal information. just give an opinion about a topic on a country where there is minimal access to information like this. this blog is important for the dissertation, so please can we move on. yes there is a double post, no, we are not the same person, she just wants your opinion, not your bank account details!

so please can we get over this and stick to tourism in qatar!

thank you.

Sorry for asking this, But what is your connection to Qatar appart from the research at the University.

Why in the world would you do a reserch on a small country thousand of miles away and cultures that are centuries appart?

-----------------

"HE WHO DARES WINS"

Derek Edward Trotter

i go to the university of waterloo, enrolled in the MA program of tourism policy and planning....precog lives here..i used to live here and moved to canada a couple of years ago....is that good enough for you? would u like to meet us in person to be more sure!

Way to go NIC

you nailed her/him/them... hmmmmmmmm, whatever:S

Yalla!

hossrider aka precog,

I did provide you with my feedback in your other profile, for which you ignored.

Canada is a big country! Which university and which program are you really enrolled in?

If you are a real Canadian residing in Canada, why you keep referring to Qatar as "here"?

And if your other profile is your "bf", why does "he/you" need to use this public forum to tell you what he(you) thinks?!

Honesty is a must if you want to succeed in the long run!

O_o

that is true Nic..this post has been posted before..but the user is not fake..i did post it under my boyfriends name but i got no response to wut i had posted...i re posted again when i created my own profile. if u have a problem with that then dont bother posting on both! cuz i can give u proof that its not fake and neither is this research..THANK YOU!

This user is a fake.

Don't bother replying to it.

The same exactly post has been published a few days ago under a different nickname.

Check it here:

http://www.qatarliving.com/node/778754

Agree with precog completely.

in my opinion qatar is going backward. they know that the expats will come here for the money so why not make them adapt to the Qatari culture, which is smart thinking, but is it sustainable over the long term?? it’s all a farce. note when these guys go on vacation abroad theyr gambling, drinking and spewing up like crazy and contracting STDs. it is very hypocritical.

i guess they want to make expat life here a little more uncomfortable just to remind us that we are outsiders and make us feel unwelcome.

i was at a private party for halloween and the qatari neighbour called the cops because of noise levels although there was no loud music. he was standing outside with one leg up on his buddys land cruiser tire, giving everyone entering the villa dirty looks. he ended up harassing the owner of the house and called the cops telling them this was a weekly occurance, although there was no such disturbance to the community but just him.

i guess the fact of the matter is that some cant stand seeing other communities socializing and gathering in a non traditional way. they want us here to pump their oil but when it comes down to socializing and practicing our cultural rituals - halloween, having a good time etc... even if its in the confinement of your own home!!! you still have to watch out for the lunies.

sleep with one eye open cuz u never know whats gonna piss off the luny next door.

Hossrider Dubai has also been clamping down on certain behaviours. Do some research on the British couple that were caught having sex on the beach, or the recent arrests of homosexuals. Fact of the matter is, if you're western, the Gulf States are not where you should be vacationing (with the exception of Oman).

Thanks everyone...keep these posts coming. Im not so sure how it all works here. Im guessing whats been marketed to the outside is completely different to whats happening in the city itself.

Do you think the laws theyre implementing have to do with certain things in the country, maybe tourists being unaware of the fact that doha is not as liberal as dubai. A couple of weeks ago i ran into a couple of american guys who chose doha for a vaccation and they seemed to know nothing about the laws, alcohol consumption, etc. do you think such behaviour is wuts been causing this?

I also think alot of people have been to dubai many would want to see something different and to me i think doha comes after dubai on the list among the GCC countries, how would this affect the locals (citizens) not just expats.

p.s precog thanx for saving the day =)

Tourism in Qatar...

Lets tackle the question one at a time.

Q1 Is Tourism required in Qatar or not.

A1. As long as oil is there it is not required. But once Oil is depleated then there should be a source of income for the country.

Q2. Is Qatar gifted by nature as a place of Tourism?

A1. I guess not.

But the major plus point is it is next door to Saudi which has a lot of visitors on pilgrimage....Qatar could pull in a lot easily (if it had some sort of superfast connectivity from Saudi to Qatar)...and since Qatar is such a small country it wont be a big deal to drive another 200kms or 2 hrs to visit another country.....

but the trick is to make Qatar look appealing to visitors....right now I dont think its very appealing.

In fact GCC has only Salaylah, Oman as naturally gifted. But then Dubai is proof that people want to see some man made attractions as well!

Qatar can make up some "artificial" tourist places like in dubai,

they have now the education tourism, trying to improve it, and some luxury hotels and spas to support the economical growth, yet, "working tourism" is most available :)

Yalla!

agreed, need and want are not the same...

maybe my opinion on it is a bit apathetic or lazy but I still really dont expect much real change outside of teh business sector as you mentioned.

I didn't say they would change there reliance on expat labour, they can't. What I am saying is that they would prefer it if we weren't here. All those big sporting events is to put them on the world stage to create more business, which keeps them in lamborghinis and Louis Vuitton. But, ironically, while they pitch for these events they are tightening down on alcohol, clothing rules, etc, all things that are only issues with expatriates.

Olive, I can see why you would think that btu look at some actions that point ot the contrary:

Tourism - Asian Games, Big Tennis Matches, Hotels, 2022, Big Footbal matches. Sure they are for locals as well but I think more so to attract the attention of forigners.

Expat/labor - the sheer numbers tell the story. Maybe the attitudes of individuals can make us feel unwelcome but do you ever have trouble getting what you need and only speaking english? Are they significantly slowing down the astorrnomical numbers of working coming in? Do we see any sizeable effort to localize labor?

Maybe they don't want tourism so bad but they certinly are dependent on expatriate work force and I don't see any quantative evidence of that changing. Like Brit said tho, there is no NEED for tourism here and nothing to attract tourist without immense effort so why bother (that bit is my opinion).

Many locals have been very vocal about that lately. Qatar doesn’t need to be a tourist destination. It needs only to appeal more to its citizens whether locals or expatriates. This can be achieved with better Infrastructure, improved education/medical facilities & Diverse cultural activities (that caters to all tastes)

Mp the locals barely want the expatriate work force here, the last thing they want is tourists!

I don't believe that there is any real need for tourism development in Qatar. Qatar does not really have any particular tourist attractions. In reality, many 'tourists" come here on a tourist visa, so that they can look for work.

No Tourism please ! Doha for the residents... hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrph!

...and about clothing and alcohol, yes, the laws are in place but when is the last time you saw the police enforcing ANYthing!?

Olive! So calis! I woudn't say that Qatar is doing nothing, there is just not much to offer here as a country. The biggest things I see for tourism are events, desert safari, 5 star hotels, and shopping malls. None of these are appealing enough to get me to visit Qatar purely for tourism but at least they are trying. I l;ive adjacent to a big hotel and spend sometime at thier beach/pool and I see a lot of tourist from the ME and former USSR. My speculation is that middle easterners come here as a liberal oasis in an otherwise conservative region but that also raises the question of why not just go to Dubai. I would also guess that our friends from the north come here for the weather and beaches. Why here, I am not sure, there are beaches in other places... I never will understand the idea of visiting a forign country and stay exclusivly at a hotel but it seems to be common place.

From what I can tell, Qatar neither wants, nor promotes, tourism. While they're are some beautiful 5 star hotels here, they are all more geared towards Conferences, not relaxation. Alcohol is VERY controlled and become more controlled, not less controlled (from my experience there aren't many people who vacation without alcohol). There's nothing to see here, nothing to do here, and if you wear the wrong thing you're libel to get arrested. I would never recommend anyone come to Qatar for vacation.

well in my honest opinion, i think any tourism development is much welcome as there isnt much to do here other than shop, visit hotels/bars/restaurants or go to the sand dunes. for people that come here for short stays (if there are any) find the desert and souq trips quite interesting as it is something they have not experienced before and the people they come in contact with ie. souq vendors have huge dollar signs in theyr eyes so they are extra nice to them as they are potential business.

the first impression you get while waiting in line at the huge immigration ques are quite appauling. the qatari man in civilian clothes being rude to people (even if its not you that they are rude to, thats just a bad first impression to be giving people vesting your country for the first time)

i think that the qataris now understand the expats and tourists better than before as they have more exposure to foreign cultures by coming in contact with tourists etc in public places like shopping malls etc. and also through media like tv, internet etc.

in regards to developing touristic stuff, one would see things like the film festival, womens tennis and other such things are a step in the right direction but i think they are doing it to market qatar to the world. these little things help but i would much rather see more activities of people coming togther and having a good ole time. stopping public parties is not helping but they are taking a few steps backward rather. the person thats setting forth these rules has no idea how to properly go about controlling hooligans.

hope this helps you in your research, and people this person is asking for help about a topic where there arent many resources to get information from (i would know i recently graduated in Qatar) so less criticizing and more info would help.

hope it all works out!

Well it seems her profile has changed, no hymen breaking from all that rough riding anymore....

Try something different in which you are good at it....

fantasy books, not doing tourism questionaire;-P

Message from the QL Animal Section Editor:

Your post has been deemed ignorant.

You have been tracked.

Ready... Aim....

Congratulations... you have been Eliminated!

visit www.qaws.org

Since I came here the first time, 1989, there have always been tourists in Qatar. Confined in the 5-star glitter atmosphere of the Sheratons and Marriots. If they were daring, they went to the Oasis "bar", and if they really wanted to know what's going on, they went into the Industrial Area or to the camp of the refused wifes in Shahania.

"Love Me or Leave Me"

(MagicDragon)

a lot has been done infact......foreign tourists visiting for the first time lov it

beaches,desert sand dunes, arabian horses...

Pay peanuts & you get Monkeys

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Never argue with an idiot,they drag you down to their level and they beat you with experience

Yeah your profile is really funny, award yourself one gold star....