Qatar Airways Group CEO Mr. Akbar Al Baker and Qatar Tourism Authority Chairman Issa Al Mohannadi met with delegation from ‘Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group’

Group Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Chengdu offers strong cultural and economic opportunities to passengers on our network and I am delighted to have had the opportunity this year to meet with the Mayor of Chengdhu, Mr. Ge Honglin, and just this week Ms. Yang Chai, Vice-General Manager of the Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group.”

Designed to strengthen ties between Qatar Airways and the tourism authorities in Chengdu, one of Qatar Airways seven gateways across China – including Hong Kong – the Memorandum of Understanding will integrate the resources of both representative parties to promote and strengthen the benefits of the connectivity that the route provides, together with the tourism and cultural highlights of Chengdu, to passengers flying on the Qatar Airways network.

The meeting this week in Doha follows a successful trip to China in April this year where His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker met with the Mayor of Chengdu, Mr. Ge Honglin, further building the strong ties that exist between the airline and China.

The airline, which has provided its signature five-star service to the Chinese market for over 10 years, commenced its first flight to Shanghai in 2003, and now has the largest route network across China of any Middle-Eastern carrier, serving the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Hong Kong.

“Qatar Airways has progressively developed our operations in China for over 10 years, connecting passengers through a variety of gateways to our new global hub and home, Hamad International Airport.

“The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding with the Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group strengthens our connectivity and ties with China, and in particular highlights not only our own recent route launch to Chengdu in 2013, but Chengdu itself as a tourist destination,” remarked Mr. Al Baker.

Chengdu is historically home to the ‘Large Pandas’ and the province also benefits from a highly convenient 72-hour tourism visa-on-arrival service for all travellers who wish to experience the marvels of the region.

The Chengdu Government and Culture and Tourism Development Group are keen to promote this amenity to travellers wishing to immerse themselves in unique experiences in nature, including visiting the home of the treasured panda.

The State of Qatar has long been sought after by Chinese travellers as an optimal transit point, for cultural and shopping excursions. Additionally, the expansive network offered by the national carrier provides convenient and flexible options for business and leisure travellers from China venturing westwards.

Qatar Airways launched two routes in the second half of 2013 to Chengdu and Hangzhou flying directly from its hub in Doha, the State of Qatar, and now flies to seven gateways across the country (including Hong Kong) to meet the strong and growing demand from passengers in the region.

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 17 years of operation, to the point where today it is flying a modern fleet of 141 aircraft to 145 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America.