(MENAFN- The Peninsula) A record 170,000 visitors attended the sixth edition of Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF 2015) at Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park last week.
Organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) and Qatar Airways (QA), the five-day festival, the longest edition, surpassed 120,000 visitors last year.
Visitors were able to sample delicious Qatari, Gulf, Arabic and international cuisine at zones, including International Zone which showcased dishes from 31 of Doha's most high-profile restaurants.
"QIFF is a great platform to showcase global cuisines, Qatar's culinary delights and the elegance of its variety of hotels and restaurants," said, Rashed Al Qurese, Chief Marketing and Promotions Officer, QTA.
"There is no doubt that this will positively impact the tourism and hospitality sector and we look forward to more innovation and creativity in next year's edition.
"We are delighted to see the high turnout of tourists and visitors. I would like to thank participants, partners and sponsors who helped make the event a great success. We always seek to make this festival exceed all expectations every year by hosting a larger number of restaurants and exhibitors and providing international entertainment activities and yet again we have achieved this."
Salam Al Shawa, Senior Vice- President, Marketing and Corporate Communications, QA, said: "We are delighted and proud of the growing popularity and success QIFF has achieved year after year. The enjoyment of visitors and guests reinforces our relationship with QTA and our continued desire to offer more entertainment options for all.
"Authentic Qatari hospitality is at the heart of our business and we are pleased that this year's festival provided visitors with the opportunity to experience QA's hospitality and Business Class menu and taste delicious food our internationally renowned chefs prepare for our passengers on board our five-star flights."
Visitors and tourists also enjoyed a wide range of entertainment activities, including musical performances and fireworks, that suited family members of all ages and tastes.
QA's Live Cooking Theatre attracted a large number of visitors who had the chance to taste delicious food cooked live by top chefs, including celebrity Chef Vineet Bhatia and Chef Massimo Capra. It also provided training to 50 professional hotel chefs in Qatar who learned how to prepare traditional and fusion Qatari dishes under Qatari cuisine expert Chef Aisha Al Tamimi and Kuwaiti Chef Fawwaz Al Amim.
Tourists and visitors sampled local and Turkish dishes at Qatar Turkey 2015 Year of Culture Zone where food was prepared in traditional Qatari tents.
The Instagram Market zone was filled with stalls from top Qatari female chefs who are active on Instagram for live preparations of local dishes as organisers are supporting local culinary talents and intend to promote the festival on social media channels.
The festival also included contests and workshops. Qatar culinary professionals held an ice sculpting competition and Philips sponsored an amateur cooking contest. This year's festival saw new features, including the High Tea-Lounge Zone by Kempinski and Fetafeat's famous chefs Salma Soliman and Daad Abu Jaber.
Qatar's hotels and tourist facilities witnessed a large increase in the number of regional and international visitors.
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