A blast of desert sand greeted me on my first steps down the stairs of the flight. I thought to myself, this would be something!
Doha Al Dawha literally meaning The Big Tree has indeed fanned out to accept a whole range of foreign nationals as its own. Indians, Bangladeshis, Philippinos and Egyptians together constitute more than 50% of the country population. Along with Arabic and English, Hindi is a rather prominent and accepted language here. There is also a unique language formed out of need, which the locals refer to as Hirabic. The marriage of Hindi to Arabic!
Wherever you can set your eyes upon, Monumental constructions are underway clearly showing the rate at which this city and the country are growing. Western influence has shaped the way of life that is Muslim in practice and traditions with a western flavor of food and fun, which I must say, is a good combination to have. Many a European has settled here calling it their home. Below is a view of the newest western district Al Dafna or simply The West Bay.
Businesses in Doha are mostly categorized into typically Government and Private Sector. What the country lacks in population (read manpower) definitely makes up with the dedication and can-do attitude. The country is gearing up to play host to the 2022 FIFA World Cup and possibly 2020 Olympic Games which is not only bringing in foreign investors from all walks of life but also place Qatar in an equal or perhaps bigger foothold to Dubai, the long proclaimed playground of the rich and famous. Having being named the richest country in terms of GDP, Qatar Government is pouring in Riyals to better the infrastructure and core backbone of the economy. Tourism is on the cards and many internationally acclaimed Hotels chains are setting up operations here.
The IT Industry is also on the rise. A plethora of System Integrators, Software Companies and Telecom specialists have already setup offices here. Banking and Telecommunications are to be the key focus here in terms of infiltration. Both the sectors are cash rich and only want the state-of-the-art solutions. They are open to innovations however have certain inclinations towards Brand recognition. The Government sector alone is equally lucrative where due to the tumultuous developmental activities and an ever-expanding economy, IT has become indispensable. The entire country is mobile and Internet savvy and the opportunities are endless on those fronts as well. However, Software solutions by themselves are not so much in the limelight as Hardware coupled with Software is.
Nortel had been possibly the undisputed leader of IT and Telecom solutions until the acquisition by Avaya. Currently, Avaya and Cisco compete for the top position with Huawei following in the wake. Other than these two, the market is wide open for solutions such as Ameyo to serve the Travel, Retail, Transportation Industry along-with creating presence in the Enterprise and Government sector. The QITCOM 2012 event shows that Qatar is quickly becoming one of preferred destinations for business in the Middle East. Its welcoming nature and acceptability is what drives worldwide companies to create presence.
