Qatar Tourism Opens Its First Office in Tehran

The newest branch of Qatar Tourism's global network of representative offices, which already includes outposts in Australia, India, China, and the US, is in Iran.                   

As its thirteenth global opening, Qatar Tourism has established its first representative office in the Iranian capital

The office will be in charge of managing a variety of marketing projects, such as partnerships with tour operators, destination training for travel agents, media visits, and advertising, all of which will position Qatar as a choice for tourists from Iran due to its "cosmopolitan and culturally" diverse experience.

"The decision made by Qatar Tourism to open its newest office there is a testimony of the long-standing cultural and commercial links between the two countries. Iran is one of 15 target markets that Qatar Tourism has selected as a top destination for travelers seeking to unwind, revitalize, and immerse themselves in culture, according to Berthold Trenkel, COO of Qatar Tourism. 

For those who want convenience, Doha offers weekly direct flights to a number of Iranian cities, including Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Isfahan. These flights often take less than three hours.

Iranian citizens are exempt from any previous visa arrangements and can enter the country without a visa if they have an Iranian passport. Instead, residents can choose to get a visa waiver when they arrive in Qatar. It can even be renewed for an extra 30 days of validity after the first 30 days have passed.       

However, a verified hotel reservation through the Discover Qatar website for the full stay is required.

Update: Discover Qatar's website no longer offers visa-on-arrival hotel reservations.

Regarding the benefits that will come back to Qatar, Trenkel said that the representative office in Iran "will support and enhance Qatar Tourism's strategic goals to increase the number of visitors to Qatar by three times, increase spending by three to four times, and grow the GDP contribution of the tourism sector to 12% by 2030."

Additionally, the two Persian Gulf nations have decided to step up their bilateral efforts in the tourist and transportation sectors, particularly during the November 2022 FIFA World Cup

Iran and Qatar promote tourism

In April, Qatar announced a number of cooperation agreements, most of which related to air travel and the big football competition

Documents previously signed during President Raisi's visit to Qatar in February included three bilateral aviation agreements, a maritime transportation pact, and a paper outlining the conditions of World Cup collaboration. Six documents in total were either newly inked or activated, according to Islamic Republic News Agency

The introduction of regular shipping lines between Iranian and Qatari ports was also highlighted during the meeting between Rostan Qasemi, Iran's minister of roads and urban development, and Jassim bin Saif AlSulaiti, Qatar's minister of transport and communications