Qatar National Tourism Council has signed a deal with multinational travel and tourism company TUI at SPIEF 2021.

Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) returned from the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2021) having penned several deals, including one with multinational travel and tourism company TUI.

The partnership will introduce the first ever direct charter flights between Moscow and Doha from October 2021 through to May 2022.

QNTC hosted events with key players in the Russian tourism scene, strengthening ties with important bodies in the country.

“We are very pleased with the agreements concluded at SPIEF. Together with our stakeholders, QNTC showcased our destination’s offerings at the Qatar Pavilion,” said QNTC COO Berthold Trenkel.

“As part of our strategy to increase Qatar’s visibility on the global front, our participation at such events opens new avenues for QNTC to strengthen ties with Russia, one of our priority markets,” Trenkel added.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between QNTC and the City of St Petersburg to grow tourism between Qatar and the Russian city of St Petersburg.

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As part of the agreement, QNTC and the City of St Petersburg will promote the development of organised group travel and facilitate participation in international tourism exhibition.

Qatar was this year’s special guest country at SPIEF where more than 50 private and public sector companies attended the event.

In an interview with Qatar Radio, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Russian Federation Sheikh Ahmed bin Nasser Al Thani said that Qatar left a distinctive impact at  SPIEF 2021, and confirmed that Qatar is one of the largest foreign investors in Russia, with diversified investments amounting to more than $13 billion.

Qatar Museums (QM) signed two Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Russian Ministry of Culture as well as Russia’s most renowned museum, the State Hermitage Museum during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2021),

The State Hermitage Museum is also the second largest museum in the world, with its collections containing in excess of three million items, spreading over six historic buildings.