Essay Example on Qatar: A Leading Sports & Shopping Destination for Tourists

Introduction

The tourism industry is one of the leading revenue generators for economies worldwide. As such, it is highly protected and strongly upheld to ensure the continuous flow of tourists. With a growth of more than 10% within the last ten years, Qatar tourism industry focuses more on providing recreational activities to tourists making it one of the leading sports destinations. Apart from sports, Qatar has some of the states of the art shopping centers. With the rise in tourists' arrivals, Qatar has hugely invested in shopping malls and shopping outlets. Skyscrapers provide an aerial view of the city landscape and also serve as a great tourist attraction. Qatar has since made investments in the construction of modern buildings (Henderson, 2015). Diplomacy is the ability to persuade through the exchange of ideas, values, and culture. In the ancient times, explorers, teachers, and artists were the diplomats of culture. Diplomacy keeps evolving over time. As culture and people habits change, diplomacy also changes. However, some cultural practices are preserved as peoples' identities. These are set up in places such as the museum and cultural centers. Maintaining cultural heritage and defining a population's way of life, diplomacy serves a great deal in human interactions. Diplomacy serves a significant role in tourism. Tourist attractions depict people's culture and traditions. The identity of the people and the place is through the people's way of life and the geographical outlook. Culture differs from one geographic location to another. The unique culture and physical appearances is what attracts tourists.

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Cultural Diplomacy and the positioning of Cultural Identity

Cultural diplomacy is an instrument in public diplomacy where foreign policies are promoted through cultural activities. Culture, in particular, refers to the shared customs, beliefs, norms, and values that govern the behaviour and opinions of an individual. Culture is, at times, described as a 'soft power' because of its ability to reach many people and create in them relations that can be used in political negotiations that in nations. Cultural identity is the sense of belonging to a certain culture that an individual experiences.

Agostinelli (2012) presented a paper in The International Conference on Cultural Diplomacy & the UN which expounded on how identity was related to cultural diplomacy. In the paper, Agostinelli makes extensive use of the term 'Other' as a key concept of identity. For a country to develop deep-seated cultural diplomacy, the country must identify the diversity that exists in it, that is, the 'other.' In the tourism industry cultural diversity is inevitable (Agostinelli, 2012). For this reason, cultural diplomacy is necessary for a better understanding of the different cultures that are presented in the country through the tourists.

International relations imminently promote intercultural relations and they contribute to the cultural identities of the people who relate with each other. The understanding of another country's culture and cultural identity may, however, not necessarily promote an understanding of the country's interests. Issues such as balance of power, national security, and commercial interests may not necessarily be reflected by the cultural identity that a country bears (Zaharna, 2012). Countries like the US have resorted to diversity training in schools, factories, and the military's to create better relations across all the diverse cultures in the country. Other countries like Singapore, however, have homogeneity in their culture by promoting solidarity in their cultural identities and cultural distinctions (Zaharna, 2012). Cultural diplomacy is made easier where individuals receive diversity training to help them deal better with cultural differences, that is, their different cultural identities.

In public diplomacy, the role of culture is often downplayed by other factors such as the political, military, and economic factors (Zaharna, 2012). Cultural awareness of one's identity and the cultural identity of the other is an important factor in public diplomacy initiatives. One should understand their own cultural identity so that they are able to adequately perceive and understand that of other people. Lack of awareness of culture may create a mismatch in the relations between people who bear different cultural identities (Zaharna, 2012).

The history of cultural diplomacy, according to Pajtinka (2014), begun with the medieval Byzantine missionaries who shared their culture deliberately through religion in foreign countries. The spread of their culture made the Byzantine Empire grow and become more influential in the foreign counties that they visited. Cultural diplomacy has facilitated the exposure of countries to new ways of doing things when they are provided support for their artists, establishment of cultural institutions, sports, and other relevant organizations (Pajtinka, 2014). The exposure of countries to the new cultures intentionally or unintentionally, slowly facilitates the exchange of culture and may eventually change the cultural identities of the people who choose to embrace the new culture over what they have been accustomed. The intensity of the cultural diplomatic activities vary in various countries depending on the foreign policy ambitions that the sending state may have in the receiving state and that also affects the impact that the cultural diplomacy has on the cultural identities of the people in the receiving country.

Cultural Diplomacy as a "Tourism Industry Mechanism"

Different people worldwide belong to different ethnic races. People preserve and display their cultural heritage in different ways. These includes activities such as art, music, festivals, and cultural dances. A practice that recognizes a community by people worldwide defines the cultural heritage of the community. In the early days, explorers would sail to different destinations to explore the local peoples' way of life. Today, technology makes it easy to explore different places and different practices through the click of a button. Galleries and detailed information on the internet about a place has made it easier to explore places at one's comfort (Nair, 2013). Technologies such as webinar and live event coverage has made the breakthrough to even cleaner, faster, and simpler diplomacy. Cultural diplomacy helps promote a region's resources known to the public in different ways. Some of these include cultural exhibitions and seminars. Platforms are provided where different people engage and exchange their practices. Furthermore, opinions and ideas are voiced out. Such events promote a country's cultural heritage attracting even more tourists.

Qatar's Cultural Policy and its connection to the Tourism Policy

The Government of Qatar has adopted practices of cultural diplomacy to develop its home and enhance Qatar's place in the global tourism market. Qatar is a country that is rich in cultures such as museums and arts and also cultural events such as traditional songs and dances. The Qatar government has put programs and laws that regulate and protect the unique culture of the Qatar people (Eggeling, 2017). The government has invested in sports success as a tool for foreign and domestic policy; this has helped the Qatar government keep a close eye on its people and the rich culture at the same time, promoting tourism. International teams come from all over the world to play and also witness the games played by the Qatar people hence promoting tourism.

Qatar's cultural policy has led to the building of national and international museums. The cultural policy that has been adopted in building museums connects with tourism policy because it promotes tourism. The museum site attracts tourists all over the world to view and learn the unique and beautiful culture of the Qatar people. The museums have helped in the achievement of a diverse culture of Qatar. The policy has also led to the building of the Qatar culture and heritage center, which is known as a center that all cultures and countries show off their unique cultures. The policy connects with tourism in many ways; for instance, most residents of Qatar, including foreigners, come to this center in the participation of heritage and cultural events (Eggeling, 2017). The diverse cultures that are showcased in this center attract tourists from different parts of the world that is both domestic and foreign tourists. The national events performed in this center; therefore, promote tourism and helps the Qatar government achieve most of their tourism objected goals.

Cultural Diplomacy for a Sustainable Tourism Development

The Qatar Government, over the past years, has adopted public diplomacy to strengthen its stand abroad and solidify its legitimacy at home. Qatar has managed to adopt cultural diplomacy by starting on some primary initiatives such as Qatar Museums and the Qatar foundations (Henderson, 2015). The government of Qatar uses public diplomacy strategically to produce and spread the culture of Qataris all over the world.

Qatar is future-oriented and focuses on its primary objective of using cultural diplomacy to promote tourism within its walls. The Qatar foundations and museums built by the Qatari government lays a strong foundation for the achievement of sustainable tourism in Qatar. Qatar is one of the countries in the world with the richest cultures and cultural heritage; they allow for the exchange of ideas with different cultures and countries when the Qataris and the different cultures come together during celebrations. The national museum and heritage center in Qatar allows for many cultures around the world to mix (Nair, 2013).

When different cultures mix and share art, dances, and language, it acts as a tourist attraction site. People come from within the country and all over the world to see a unique combination of different cultures. When tourists come to see the cultural shows, the tourism sector of the Qatar people is secured. The Qatari government, therefore, takes into consideration all the measurements, such as declaring international culture day to ensure the growth and sustainability of their tourism sector.

References

Agostinelli, M. A. C. (2012, February). Cultural Diplomacy and the Concept of the Other. THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CULTURAL DIPLOMACY & THE UN. http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/culturaldiplomacynews/content/articles/participantpapers/2012-02-unccd/Cultural_diplomacy_and_the_concept_of_the_Other-__Margarita_Alexandra_Coppi_Agostinelli.pdf

Brannagan, P. M., & Giulianotti, R. (2014). Qatar, Global Sport, and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. In Leveraging Legacies From Sports Mega-Events: Concepts And Cases (pp. 154-165). Palgrave Pivot, London. https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/Qatar_global_sport_and_the_2022_FIFA_World_Cup/9616793/files/17264456.pdf

Eggeling, K. A. (2017). Cultural Diplomacy in Qatar: between 'Virtual Enlargement,' National identity Construction, and Elite Legitimation. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 23(6), 717-731.

https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/handle/10023/16095/Eggeling_2017_IJCP_CulturalDiplomacy_AAM.pdf?sequence=1Henderson, J. C. (2015). The Development of Tourist Destinations in the Gulf: Oman and Qatar Compared. Tourism Planning & Development, 12(3), 350-361. https://www.academia.edu/download/51141946/The_Development_of_Tourist_Destinations_in_the_Gulf_Oman_and_Qatar_Compared.pdf

Nair, G. K. (2013). Influence of Risk Assessment Factors on the Tourism Performance in Qatar: An Empirical Study. American Journal of Tourism Research, 2(2), 141-153. http://worldschol...