PARIS, 29th October, 2013 /PRNewswire/— Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Paris Saint-Germain are proud to go one step further and open a new chapter in their ambitious partnership, further solidifying an association between the world-famous sports club with a dynamic, fast growing country.

This partnership links QTA and Paris Saint-Germain for the long term, providing an opportunity for Qatar to capitalize on the power and reach of sports to promote its numerous tourism assets.

Promoting Qatar

Over the past few years, Qatar has been investing heavily in tourism development, keen to share its unique roots and cultural heritage with the rest of the world. QTA’s mission is to develop and promote Qatar and its culture, and to strengthen the country’s position as a destination of choice. A reflection of this drive towards a wider audience is the recently established Qatar Tourism office in Paris.

Destination Qatar provides a unique and authentic experience to regional and international tourists. Besides the ideal conditions and impressive facilities, Qatar has a fascinating cultural heritage, splendid landmarks, 563 km of sandy coastline, museums hosting some of the region’s most impressive art collections, and an array of world-leading sports events.

Qatar attracts leading sports events to the country each year – such as the ATP and WTA tennis tournaments, the cycling Tour of Qatar and the MotoGP. In 2015, Qatar will also host the Handball World Championship, in 2016 it will play host to the Cycling World Championships and of course the FIFA Football World Cup in 2022.

To realize its immense tourism potential and translate it into tangible social and economic benefits for the country, Qatar has chosen to develop a global outreach strategy, tailor-made for each market, and supported by coherent investments, which includes sports as a major component.

To reach France and other European markets, Paris Saint-Germain seemed a natural partner. Being associated with one of the best clubs in Europe and indirectly with Paris as a destination is an ideal opportunity for QTA to promote Qatar.

For Rashed Al Qurese, Director of Marketing & Promotions at QTA: “Tourism promotion is critical for Qatar to promote its economy, cultural heritage and offerings as a destination. QTA is delighted to have in Paris Saint-Germain as partner of choice with whom we can develop engaging and impactful promotional experiences for international fans and business partners, as well as the residents of Qatar and France. By partnering with Paris Saint-Germain, Qatar also associates itself with Paris, a destination of choice with which we share a sense of prestige, ambition and excellence.”

QTA and Paris Saint-Germain: a timeless ambition

QTA’s association with Paris Saint-Germain will promote Qatar as a tourist destination to millions of the club’s fans – and not just football fans. When associating with Paris Saint-Germain, QTA chose not only to link to the men’s team – and worldwide stars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani or Thiago Silva – but also the women’s team, runners-up of the French Division 1 in 2011 and 2013. Additionally, QTA also linked itself to the Paris Saint-Germain Handball team, French champions last season – in the hopes of promoting the Handball World Championship, which will be held in Qatar in 2015.

For Paris Saint-Germain, this pioneering partnership with QTA helps propel the club ever faster towards the zenith of European sport. It also opens up new markets to the club, and provides access an even bigger audience, in line with its global development strategy. Last, but not least, this association allows the club to access world-class training facilities in Qatar such as the ASPIRE Zone during their annual Winter Tour.

Jean-Claude Blanc, Deputy CEO of Paris Saint-Germain: “Our association with QTA allows us to have the means necessary to develop the club in the direction that we envision. The club’s image clearly benefits from it and so do our results. We are able to give our supporters a high level of performance matching their expectations and our ambitions.”

Activation plans

From November onwards, several full size outdoor billboards, located in key spots around Paris, will highlight Paris Saint-Germain players in front of iconic Qatar landmarks – uniting the club and the country under the banner “Partners in Dreams”.

QTA and Paris Saint-Germain are working closely to develop programs to engage fans and business partners alike. From fan competitions to stadium activations, this pioneering association will provide a fan experience that is unique, passionate and designed to promote both Qatar as a destination and Paris Saint-Germain as a club.

For the third year in a row, the players and staff of Paris Saint-Germain men’s football team will travel in December 2013 to Qatar for their traditional Winter Tour and training camp. They will enjoy, once again, the world-class training and health facilities at the ASPIRE Zone, an ideal way to prepare for the club’s friendly game against Real Madrid FC on January 2nd 2014, as well as for the second half of an exciting Ligue 1 season. Several months later, the Paris Saint-Germain handball team will also visit the amazing facilities in Doha for their training camp.

To know more about Qatar and this pioneering association: http://www.qatartourism.gov.qa/media

About Qatar Tourism Authority

Qatar Tourism Authority’s (QTA) mission is to plan, regulate, develop and promote sustainable tourism in Qatar with the aim of driving economic growth and social impact and enabling authentic experiences, business facilitation, and family-focused recreation. Offering a range of products and services from culture and heritage, MICE, leisure, sport and education, Qatar’s tourism sector has a rich blend of attractions to suit all tourists.

QTA works to showcase the country’s unique cultural heritage and exciting tourist attractions to lead the transformation of Qatar into a world-class destination with deep cultural roots. With numerous venues for business and 45 four- and five-star hotels, Qatar is already a leading high-end destination for MICE, situated centrally between Europe and Asia.

http://www.qatartourism.gov.qaTwitter: @QTOURISMFacebook: facebook.com/qatar.qatartourism

About Paris Saint-Germain

Two years ago, the Paris Saint-Germain club set itself the goal of becoming a global sports brand by embodying in everything it does and in all its communications the values of elegance, excellence and respect that are associated with Paris whose name its brand so proudly bears.

French champions in 2013 in both football and handball, quarter-finalist the same year in the UEFA Champions League, 2013 French vice-champion also with the soccer ladies’ team, the first steps it has taken already lend credibility to its goal of placing all its teams at the forefront of sport in Europe.

Paris Saint-Germain is very active in the media, with PSG TV, available online, and PSG.fr, which has an average of over 15 million page views every month (of which 18 % from outside France). Paris Saint-Germain is the leading French sports club on social networks, with more than 18 million fans and followers (club, teams and players included).

http://www.psg.frTwitter: @PSG_insideFacebook: facebook.com/PSG

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Press Contacts

Havas Sports & Entertainment Bénédicte Etienne +33 (0)1 58 47 84 95+33 (0)6 87 30 12 83benedicte.etienne@havas-se.com

Manon Mainenti-Merie +33 (0)1 58 47 88 76+33 (0)6 25 39 43 86manon.mainenti@havas-se.com

Paris Saint-GermainGuillaume Le RoyExternal Relations Director +33 (0)1 41 41 62 86gleroy@psg.fr

Interface Tourism Christelle Zucchelli +33 (0)1 53 25 51 27 communication@interfacetourism.com

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