The hot air balloons even featured aircraft of the national carrier, Qatar Airways (photos: Qatar Tourism)
As the FIFA World Cup in Qatar draws closer with less than 200 days to go, Qatar is preparing to welcome more than a million visitors for the tournament. In its attempt to provide exotic and unique experiences to all kinds of visitors, ranging from local residents to international travellers, the GCC country recently hosted the largest hot air balloon festival in the Middle East to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
The three-day festival held in capital Doha, saw varieties of balloons floating in the skies of Qatar with an attractive display of parade walked on the ground. The balloons ranged from well-known and much-loved characters such as Minion, Angry Birds, Mario & Luigi, to iconic Qatari features including a falcon, whale shark and even an aircraft of the national carrier,Qatar Airways.
Thousands of visitors lined up the Corniche or the waterfront in Doha to witness the parade and event.
“As we prepare to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 in 200 days, our focus is on tourism and providing unique experiences to residents, locals and international travellers. Qatar captures the essence of the Middle East in one accessible destination, and we welcome travellers to our shores to enjoy all Qatar has to offer,”says Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel.
Qatar Tourism was recently nominated as Middle East’s Leading Business Travel Destination 2022 by World Travel Awards.
