Should the travel industry support Qatar?

For Jo Rzymowska, vice-president and managing director EMEA, Celebrity Cruises the answer is a hard no. Rzymowska worked closely with Marc Bennett in the early 2000s and was shaken by his death.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Rzymowska tells TTG: “I don’t believe he would have taken his own life without being under immense pressure. While we will never know the absolute truth, we do know he was arrested and the understanding is that he was tortured.”

Rzymowska says she is concerned by reports regarding the treatment of migrant workers as well as recent comments by Qatar World Cup ambassador Khalid Salman, who publicly stated LGBT+ people are “haram” (an Arabic term meaning forbidden or unlawful) and “damaged in the mind”.

“[These comments] were deeply concerning and demonstrate the actual treatment LGBT+ people in Qatar are exposed to,” Rzymowska says. “The fact the ambassador’s aide jumped in to stop the interview shows Qatar is more concerned with its image than with its actual treatment of LGBT+ people.

“I do believe it’s best to debate and educate and have open conversations because beliefs are different around the world,” she adds. “And Qatar is not alone – there are more than 69 countries that currently criminalise same-sex relationships. There are also numerous countries where human rights, be it the treatment of women or treatment of migrant workers, is equally appalling.

“That said, evidence shows that Qatar says one thing to try to improve its PR image and appeal to tourists, and does another on the ground in the way it treats its citizens and migrant workers.” 

Lee Hunt, managing director of Deben Travel, who also worked with Marc Bennett while both were at Thomas Cook in the mid 2000s, feels similarly uncomfortable. While he will sell Qatar if a customer specifically enquires about the destination, he believes it’s a travel agent’s “role to educate people”.

“We can make people aware how difficult it can be for people over there by [explaining] how the country has treated migrant workers and LGBT+ people,” he adds.

Marie Rowe, of Marie Rowe Travel, has a similar opinion. “Until the reputation of Qatar improves I will continue to actively promote other destinations in the region that are socially and politically more acceptable,” she tells TTG.

“Every country has skeletons in the closet and no country is perfect... But it’s where you as an agent draw your boundary. I feel like Qatar is on the other side of the boundary for us” – Graeme Brett, Westoe Travel

Graeme Brett, director of Westoe Travel, is even more candid. Westoe Travel specialises in “big sporting events” and would typically have promoted the World Cup. “It was hard but we took the decision from the start when Qatar was awarded the World Cup not to promote it because of their attitude towards human rights,” he says.

Instead the agency is focusing on the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year. “Every country has skeletons in the closet and no country is perfect,” he adds. “But it’s where you as an agent draw your boundary. I feel like Qatar is on the other side of the boundary for us.”

Other travel agents, however, are more torn. “I find myself very split with how I feel about the promotion of tourism in destinations where their ethics and laws go against everything I firmly believe in,” says Gemma Antrobus, owner of Haslemere Travel.

“There is part of me that feels that to close down communication with such countries will only compound the issue. Would it not be better to start discussions about change and progression?”

Her view is echoed by others, not least Simon Oram, director of Birmingham-based agency The Travel Shop.

Oram travelled to Qatar as part of a fam earlier in the year – a trip which he says opened his eyes to the destination.

“Qatar was different to what I expected – I thought it would be stricter than it was, but it’s about being sensible. Don’t be a stereotypical ‘Brit abroad’, respect their religious beliefs and you’ll be absolutely fine.”

“We can’t afford to refuse bookings just because we don’t like a country’s stance" – Simon Oram, The Travel Shop

Oram acknowledges Qatar’s human rights record, but highlights other countries whose values often appear at odds with the UK. “Look at the USA, Brazil, China, Saudi, other UAE states to name a few… Where do we draw the line?” he asks.

“Are the stories coming out of Qatar terrible? Of course they are, and the loss of life building the stadiums should never have happened. But the same thing happened in Dubai when the big hotel building boom happened, yet there wasn’t as much of an outcry. Qatar at the moment is what Dubai was 20-25 years ago. We can’t stop its growth, so do we decide to sell it as a destination, or refuse bookings?” 

It highlights a key issue which Oram isn’t afraid to point out – money. After a devastating two years for the UK travel industry, it’s difficult for many agents to turn down business, and Oram admits this is also a factor in his decision to sell Qatar.

“Right now, we can’t afford to refuse bookings. We barely survived Covid, my parents were due to retire in 2020… all the money and years of hard work they put into the business has now gone. They can no longer afford to retire right now, so refusing bookings because we don’t like a country’s stance just isn’t going to work.”

It’s not just the World Cup occupying the travel industry’s thoughts. In June the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) announced Qatar as the host destination for its 2023 conference. 

Chair Steven Freudmann insists ITT’s conference will trigger a healthy discussion on how travel can be a force for good.

“We are not by any means condoning Qatar’s human rights record,” he tells TTG.

“If you just isolate destinations, you end up with a North Korea situation” – Steven Freudmann, ITT

“We will use the conference platform to specifically discuss the morality of travel, not just with Qatar but the many countries around the world we send our customers to”.

Freudmann says the conference will feature a session on human rights, which Qatari authorities have been invited to participate in. Asked if the session will discuss Marc Bennett and LGBT+ rights, Freudmann insists: “It will talk about Marc Bennett and everything.”

He is aware of the condemnation of ITT’s decision to host the conference in Qatar but remains unapologetic and accuses his critics of “hypocrisy”.

“The Qataris have a stake in Sainsbury’s, they own Harrods – where does it stop? It’s a bit rich for people to call for a boycott when we’re going to be using the conference as an important debate. I would ask these people: are they being consistent in calling for a boycott of everything?”

More than 120 delegates are currently registered for the conference, and Freudmann says “not a single one has questioned our position in Qatar”.

He is particularly frustrated because he says he firmly believes tourism can be a “force for good”. “If you just isolate destinations, you end up with a North Korea situation,” he adds. 

It’s a view echoed by Gary Lewis, chief executive of The Travel Network Group. “Not engaging with people cannot be the answer,” he says. “Travel can really help drive change within destinations.

“We do not see boycotts as the answer – they only serve to further disenfranchise those who are already getting left behind due to racism, economics or identity” – the International LGBTQ+ Travel Association IGLTA

“We have a perfect example of change within the UAE and specifically Dubai. Over the last 25 years they have rapidly developed their infrastructure for tourism and enabled international tourists to enjoy their culture, whilst carefully moving their own legal and cultural norms to accommodate western values.”

The International LGBTQ+ Travel Association IGLTA also labels tourism as a force for good. “We have LGBTQ+ member businesses and partners in countries with challenging laws and we've seen how they are helping to move the needle through education and economics,” says John Tanzella, president and chief executive.

“We do not see boycotts as the answer – they only serve to further disenfranchise those who are already getting left behind due to racism, economics or identity. The laws of a country, state or region are not reflective of its entire population.”

For those, though, who knew Marc Bennett – an ITT board member himself – the hosting of ITT’s conference in Qatar is a devastating blow.

Rzymowska says she is “disappointed” by the ITT’s decision, and has “written to board members and asked them to reconsider the hosting of the conference in Qatar”.

Chris Oakes, sales director for Technomine Travel Solutions, who worked in Doha 11 years ago, is equally frustrated.

He says he didn’t know Marc well and “only met him a couple of times”, but feels “as an industry we need to step back and have a long, hard look at what we’re doing”.

“We should be promoting safe destinations. When industry colleagues go out to work one day and don’t come back, that’s shocking.”

In 2022, the world rightly asks different questions of destinations than it did in the early 2000s when countries such as Dubai were becoming established holiday destinations. England, after all, only introduced same-sex marriage in 2014.

Our values have moved on, and in 2022 it is shameful that people anywhere are still being arrested for their sexuality. 

And yet it’s an uncomfortable truth that every country has its issues – the UK’s own human rights record was attacked by the United Nations this month for its treatment of asylum seekers. Should travel industries around the world stop sending their clients to Britain?

Furthermore, can we ever expect a destination to embrace different attitudes if we close it off from the world? 

Should the travel industry support a destination like Qatar? Anything that can help initiate progress should be celebrated. But questions – however difficult – must also be allowed too. And the travel industry could – and should – look beyond the glossy PR campaigns of destinations to address these, no matter how uncomfortable. 

In response to TTG, a Qatari official said:
 

Regarding whether LGBTQ+ people are welcome to visit Qatar:
 
Qatar is an inclusive country with a culture of warm hospitality. Everyone is welcome in Qatar. We have hosted hundreds of global events in the past, and our track record has shown that we have warmly welcomed all people regardless of background. We have welcomed people from across the world during previous editions of the FIFA Club World Cup, for fashion and art events, and for many international diplomatic, health and educational conferences.
 
Qatar does not tolerate discrimination against anyone, and our policies and procedures are underpinned by a commitment to human rights for all. Qatar consistently ranks among the safest countries in the world, and there have never been reports of violence targeting people based on their background or beliefs.
   
Regarding reports about the mistreatment of workers in the lead-up to the World Cup:
 
Over the past two decades, Qatar has initiated an overhaul of its labour system, with extensive action taken to benefit the millions of workers in our country. Today, we are proud to see the positive results of our comprehensive labour reform package, and proud to be leading the region on labour rights. 
 
Qatar has always acknowledged that work remains to be done, notably to hold unscrupulous employers to account – as is the case with any country around the world. Systemic reform does not happen overnight and shifting the behaviour of every company takes time. The reality is that we have always committed to a zero-tolerance policy to enforce our laws, and that we are already seeing the number of offences declining year-on-year as compliance increases among employers.
 
Our comprehensive labour programmes span from the establishment of the region’s first non-discriminatory minimum wage to the removal of exit permits and barriers to change jobs, stricter oversight of recruitment, better access to justice and compensation, and improved health and safety standards including regular health checks. Summer working hours laws are strictly enforced through regular workplace inspections – since May 2021, heat-stress risk assessments are mandatory, and work is prohibited in places where the temperature index exceeds 32.1 degrees Celsius. Any failure to comply results in the partial or full closure of worksites.
 
Access to remedy for unpaid wages, deaths or injuries is a critical part of Qatar’s labour rights framework. We have increased penalties for non-payment of wages with maximum prison sentence of one year, and a maximum fine of QAR 10,000. Separately, the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund was introduced to provide compensation for workers who have unfortunately been injured or passed away due to a work-related incident, or in cases where workers have not received their salaries due to their employer being unable to pay. This year alone, $350 million has been paid through the Fund. We encourage everyone – including international organisations – to work with us to continue to strengthen the Fund and ensure all workers are aware of these mechanisms.
 
The reality is that what Qatar has achieved in a few years took many decades to achieve in other parts of the world. Following Qatar’s lead, and as a sign of the programme’s wider impact, other countries in the region have now taken steps to introduce their own labour reforms. 
 
Qatar’s advancements are comprehensive, genuine and long lasting – and we are committed to further progress.

Qatar Tourism added:

In 2022, Qatar Tourism hosted more than 600 travel trade executives from 27 countries, to successfully showcase the destination. 
 
The UK is one of Qatar Tourism’s top five markets and the organisation will run a series of roadshows in the country next year, as well as hosting more trade fam trips and cementing partnership agreements with the major tour operators and travel agencies.
 
The Qatar Tourism corporate website has a dedicated trade section, with a range of practical tools, including a brand portal, providing access content and images; brand guidelines; and a venue finder for the MICE market.
 
Daily direct flights between the UK and Doha have increased - from October 29, Qatar Airways increased its winter Doha to London Heathrow flights to 7x daily – its highest ever number.
 
In 2019, Qatar welcomed a total of 2.1 million visitors. The Qatar Tourism Strategy 2030 aims to triple arrival numbers to 6 million visitors per annum and increase the tourism contribution to GDP to 12%.
 

MSC Cruises declined to comment.

A statement from TTG Media:

TTG Media will not promote in our own products any destination where, based on recent evidence, members of our team would not be comfortable to travel to for fear of arrest due to their sexuality or profession. In light of recent news reports concerning the tragic death of travel industry colleague Marc Bennett, along with worrying reports regarding the treatment of migrant workers and LGBT+ people, TTG has taken the decision to pause activity with Qatar. While we firmly believe tourism can be a force for good and can help initiate important changes to human rights, we do not believe it is right to benefit commercially from destinations that do not align with TTG's values.