The seven judges will start evaluating business and individual entries across seven categories this September.

Qatar Tourism has unveiled who will sit on the jury panel for the second edition of the Qatar Tourism Awards.

The seven-member jury comprises of experts from a diverse array of fields, including Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad Al Thani, chairwoman of TenX Ventures.

The Qatari royal and Forbes recognised businesswoman became the first woman and youngest person appointed to the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC). At the height of her QFC career, Sheikha Alanoud was appointed as the centre’s deputy CEO in January last year.

Joining Sheikha Alanoud is Rana Sobh, dean of the college of business and economics at Qatar University.

The panel also includes Abdulla Al Mehshadi, CEO of Al Wa’ab City, Ramzan Al Naimi, innovation expert and Ali bin Towar Al Kuwari, representative of Qatar Museums’ Year of Culture programme and media personality.

Further, Azzam Abdulaziz Al Mannai, CEO of Sport Accelerator at the Aspire Zone Foundation and Marcel Leijzer, deputy director of technical cooperation and Silk Road Department at the UN Tourism, will also be part of the jury.

From September 10, the judges will be tasked with evaluating entries from individuals and organisations bolstering Qatar’s tourism industry.

In 2023, Doha was named as the Arab Tourism Capital.

What are the award categories?

The awards are organised in partnership with the World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) as a platform to celebrate the achievements and contributions of those excelling within the industry across seven categories.

The seven award categories are: service excellence, gastronomic experiences, iconic attractions and activities, world class events, digital footprint, smart and sustainable tourism, and community leadership.

Each award category is further divided into subcategory awards.

This includes tour guide of the year, outstanding authentic Qatari dining experience, leading local retail brand, leading event celebrating local culture, tourism influencer/content creator of the year, leading sustainable attraction and emerging leader in tourism, among others.

For his part, Zurab Pololikashvili, UN Tourism secretary-general, remarked that the first edition of the awards spotlighted the excellence of drives being implemented in the local tourism sector.

“This second edition aims at encouraging companies and entrepreneurs to keep contributing to the development of a sustainable tourism strategy that incorporates the highest levels of service and innovation, enriched with Qatar’s cultural experience,” he added.