The Summer in Qatar (SiQ) campaign proved to be one of the biggest success stories that kept the residents and tourists entertained this summer.
With the collaboration of over 30 public and private sector partners in hospitality, retail, and entertainment, the SiQ has demonstrated the commitment across sectors to further evolve to build a sustainable tourism sector, the Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) has said.
The campaign that ran for over three months included numerous activities to entertain and educate families and particularly children. Special arrangements were made for the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha when the residents of Qatar enjoyed utmost indoor music shows, comedy shows, theatre plays, summer camps, and different community activities in major shopping malls.
During the SiQ campaign, multiple activities arranged for children proved to be the most engrossing attractions. Among many summer camps and entertainment festivals, the kids enjoyed different play areas, theme parks and virtual reality gaming.
Kidzania at Aspire Park proved to be the most engaging activity for the children. The theme park that ran for about two months remained open for 12 hours every day.
It was the place where learning and fun, were combined perfectly. Kidzania was the place where kids freely explored a 5,500 square metres child-sized city, where they became firefighters, doctors, chefs and artists. They performed real-life tasks. Without noticing, the children learnt many skills, from self-knowledge to self-confidence.
Fuelled by a child’s natural desire to have fun, create, explore and collaborate, KidZania offered a progressive concept with more than 60 exciting hands-on activities designed for children from one to 14 years old.
From the aviation academy to the police station or even hospital, kids were running their own city packed with over 60 activities.
Packed wall to wall with exciting role-play activities, Kidzania taught the school children about careers, money management and life outside a school in a way that perfectly complements their curriculum.
Every activity inside KidZania was designed by educators and developed to match school curricula in Qatar to help bring learning to life. Whatever activity they chose, all the visitors were able to enjoy a full learning experience as they worked, earned and played in an interactive and safe environment.
The activities the children learnt about were; teamwork, communication, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital literacy, emotional intelligence, and global citizenship. Having birthday parties at the theme park was another excellent feature of Kidzania.
Another attractive and entertaining facility both for kids and adults has been Virtuocity at Doha Festival City (DFC). The city was started on June 14 and will continue until August 24.
The most exciting feature of the Virtuocity has been ‘Arena’ – an awe-inspiring space – that encompasses everything that is great in the realm of modern gaming. High spec and high tech, it surpasses even the most discerning gamer’s highest expectations.
The visitors immersed themselves in ‘The Coliseum’ – a 1100sq metres of pure gaming rapture. They were also engulfed in glory when they checked into the exclusive VIP rooms. The visitors selected a level that suited them then rose through the ranks to the dizzying heights of competitive gaming.
The racing at the Virtuocity was a pro F1 racing simulator with real-world racetracks, motion sensors and top graphics. It was the ultimate road test. The competitors had to enter time trails, qualification and races to reach the top of the leaderboard. The car and the pit were ready and all they had to do was get over the finish line in first.
Angry Birds World again at DC was yet another attraction for the kids. Snow Dunes at DC however attracted people in crowds.
Qatar’s first-ever indoor snow theme park opened its doors to the visitors on the second day of Eid al-Adha. Spread over more than 9,500sqm, the park offered a variety of rides and attractions suitable for the whole family, as well as food and beverages outlets, retail store, and party rooms. E-sports Gaming Festival also attracted young adults at DC during the Eid days.
HIGH TECH: An exciting feature of Virtuocity at Doha Festival City (DFC) was the ‘Arena’ u2013 an awe-inspiring space u2013 that encompassed everything that is great in the realm of modern gaming.
