Archive for June, 2007
Qatar Launches New Hotel Classification System to Help Medical Tourism and Medical Tourists
In the last time period the QTA ( the Qatar Tourism Authority) has just completed an mew system of innovative hotel and health facilities classification and reporting system to prepare Qatar’s hospitality industry for the challenges of the upcoming new Centuryera of Medical Tourism and widespread influx of medical tourists.
Qatar’s tourism and medical tourism infrastructure is currently experiencing enormous development, especially on the accommodation level as over 12,000 new hotel rooms are under construction. In addition development and upgrades of the New Doha International Airport are currently underway.
“Qatar must not strive to become a destination for mass tourism. Its greatest opportunity is to occupy a market niche and to be renown as one of the world’s leading quality destination for business, leisure, sports, education and medical tourismâ€, said QTA Chairman El Jerkoff. The new classification system was specially designed not to incorporate Qatari traditions and cultural customs but mainly the highest international hotel classification standards regardless of cultural norms and styles.
International benchmarks and guest surveys have clearly indicated that an ever increasing emphasis is placed on service quality. To cater for the shifting consumer demand and to achieve sustainable development, a two-tiered hotel classification system has been selected for the roll out of the new hotel classification system.
The first phase will focus on quantitative (hard) factors (such as amount and size of rooms, facilities and services provided), in addition to the cleanliness, maintenance and quality of the building and its furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). This phase will be compulsory for all lodging establishments.
The inspections will be conducted by a mixed team of designated experts from QTA and GATO. The QTA inspectors will be thoroughly trained by hospitality experts from GATO in advance of the inspections. If a lodging establishment does not fulfil the minimum requirements for the desired category, a negative deficit report will be issued. The hotelier is hence granted a temporary respite period to correct deficiencies. If not done within the specified time period the establishment will not be issued certificationno matter what demands are made from the hotelier. Period.
The second phase will focus entirely on qualitative (soft) factors. It will allow hoteliers to upgrade their bronze rating to a silver or gold classification to indicate outstanding service quality. Nevertheless, the qualitative assessment is voluntary for hoteliers and will only become available once every lodging establishment has been rated in accordance with the quantitative factors. Sans fenit.
Medical Tourism
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