CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
RESIDENTS of Qatar and visitors from Oman and Kuwait were present in large numbers at the Entertainment City, the hub of Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) activities organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), on the first day of Eid Al Fitr in Doha Sunday.
In fact, the Entertainment City received around 600 visitors during the first two hours of its opening at 2pm and all visitors were given free access to the venue and were able to enjoy the games for free in the first two hours. QTA has organised the event in association with QSports.
The ongoing Gulf crisis and the blockade have failed to dampen the mood of the residents or delay the opening as the organisers were able to put up a magnificent city for everyone. Besides, there were guests from Oman, Kuwait and several other countries.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune on Sunday, QSports Deputy Chairman Ghanim al Mohannadi said,"Within the first two hours of its opening, we received 600 people and they entered and enjoyed the games for free because we wanted to promote the Entertainment City."
Mohannadi further said,"There are promotions for people from Oman and Kuwait. We were in touch with Qatar Airways, and visitors from these countries were given a 40 percent discount on tickets to encourage them to visit not only the Entertainment City but also the country. There are some Kuwaitis and Omanis and we expect more from today (Monday)."
He added that they were expecting at least 3,000 visitors at the Entertainment City on a daily basis on regular days and more than 3,000 during the Eid Al Fitr festivities.
On the Gulf crisis, Mohannadi said,"We had difficulties initially owing to the crisis since our shipment comes through Jebel Ali Port in Dubai and our items got stuck there and so we brought through the Sohar Port [through the new line opened to Sohar Port in Oman]. We overcame this problem and now the Entertainment City is complete and nice. We received support from the private sector to make the Entertainment City complete."
For his part, Mohamed from Oman who visited the Entertainment City with his family said,"We are happy to spend our Eid in Qatar. We will be touring Qatar for the next three days and we are happy to be associated with Qatar."
Ahmad, an Egyptian, said,"We chose to spend Eid at the Entertainment City rather than any other place because there are many activities for my son and daughter."
Sonja, a South African, said,"There are many activities and we will try most of them."
The Entertainment City is located at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center. The timings are from 2pm to 11pm every day. The entrance fee is QR15 and the individual game prices are QR5, QR10, QR15, QR20, QR25, QR35, QR45 and QR50. The QSF will continue until September 5.