Goway Travel adds Qatar product line to roster
Goway is expanding its Middle East travel options with the launch of travel products in Qatar. Although the tour operator will not be selling Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, taking place from November 21 to December 18, the anticipation of the tournament is garnering worldwide attention about the destination.
Clients will be now able to stopover for a few nights in Qatar en route to vacations in the Maldives, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt, or other leading destinations.
Goway’s range of travel products includes city tours of the rapidly-growing capital, Doha, which combines historic charm with man-made islands and towering skyscrapers. Travellers can go dune bashing through the desert and visit the inland sea of Khar al Adaid, or relax along the country’s pristine beaches, including at the resorts and waterparks of Abu Samra.
To find out more about what’s in store in Qatar, Travel Courier caught up with Moira Smith, VP of Africa & Asia at Goway Travel.
Tell us about what inspired the product line in Qatar?
We are great supporters of Qatar Airways to some of our core products such as the Maldives, South Africa, Kenya and Thailand. It made sense for us to develop a stop-over Qatar product line. We aim to replicate the success we’ve had in Dubai, which started out mainly as a stop-over destination but now the average stay is a week.
Can you share some details about the vacation packages? When putting together the packages, what was important to include?
Our product manager, Carrie Bell, travelled to Qatar in November to experience the product and work out what products would suit the Goway clientele. We have different products that will appeal to different market segments (which is one of the great things about Qatar). In all the packages we include a variation of an orientation city, primarily private guided. Qatar offers unique, authentic experiences in all the different segments. For the foodies excellent restaurants abound but also experiences such as a tasting tour in the Souq or an Arabic coffee ceremony. For the art and culture buff on offer are world-class museums, incredible architecture and impressive art galleries. For the adventurous we offer dune bashing, kayaking through the mangroves – for divers, excellent reefs, and for the active traveller there is golf and water sports. Qatar also has wonderful beaches and resorts.
What are some unexpected or lesser known things to experience in Qatar?
Qatar is one of the safest cities in the world. It has an excellent metro system and plenty Ubers so it’s very easy to get around. The World Cup stadiums are attractions in their own right and we can arrange a private guided tour for those interested. We are not a licensed World Cup seller and have taken the decision that we won’t sell Qatar during the month of the World Cup.
What are some unexpected or lesser known things to experience in Qatar?
While many Canadians are choosing to stay close to home, CAA continues to see increased sales of travel insurance, and an incredible increase in Canadians eager to start travelling again. Some of the destinations of interest are Canada, Mexico, United States, Disney World, sun destinations for Winter 2023, river, and ocean cruising, and some international destinations such as Australia.
What other trends are you noticing now that travel is picking up again?
These are travel splurging, slow travel, travel with family and friends, last minute travel and experiential travel. For more, visit this article we wrote recently on the top five trends we are seeing.
