Qatar Tourism has launched a new holiday campaign featuring David Beckham to support the country’s tourism goals and ambition to attract more than six million visitors a year by 2030. The campaign reveals Beckham’s action-packed adventure around the country over the course of 48 hours, showing how Qatar offers visitors everything from cultural hotspots to scenic landscapes.

Led by passionate local personalities, Beckham is seen discovering Qatar as he explores the winding spice markets of Souq Waqif, soaks up local street art, cooks tacos infused with local flavours, camps in the desert, and sightsees around Doha by motorbike.

Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “It has been a pleasure to welcome David to Qatar, where he has immersed himself in the culture and experienced first-hand the warm hospitality of our people. I encourage the millions who transit through Qatar every year to follow in David’s footsteps and create their own exciting adventure and memories. We have something for everyone at incredible value, whether it’s sun, sea and sand, rich heritage and culture, surprising nature, or a modern and fun city break.”

With several national holidays and long weekends coming up across the region, the campaign might just inspire GCC residents to earmark Qatar as their next destination for a quick, weekend getaway.

David Beckham said: “Qatar has surprised me with a wide range of great experiences you can have in just 48 hours. The people are warm and welcoming, and it is a great place to spend a few days.” He added: “The people of Qatar are passionate about their culture and the mix of modern and traditional creates something really special. I saw so much during my trip from spice markets to museums to enjoying a ride on my motorbike, which was one of the highlights.”

With more than 80% of the world’s population within a six-hour flight from Qatar, this campaign showcases how Qatar is an excellent place for GCC visitors to turn a stopover into a mini break or to spend a quick weekend getaway timed with the various national holidays and long weekends coming up in the region. Through this campaign, Qatar Tourism seeks to raise awareness of the world’s best value stopover packages, which are on offer from Qatar Airways. The campaign will see content across digital advertising, social media channels, and Qatar Tourism’s website, in addition to being shared by selected partners. The campaign video will also be hosted on Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system Oryx.

During his tour of Qatar, David Beckham went on adventures with the following people: Chef Noor Al Mazroei, Chef at Rosado Café, took David on a tour of the spice market in Souq Waqif. Saad Ismail Al Jassim, one of Qatar’s last legendary pearl divers, gave David a lesson on the country’s historic primary industry of pearling, before the discovery of oil and gas. Abdulaziz Yousef, a Qatari artist, showed David around Souq Waqif’s Art Centre.

Chef Aquiles Chaves, a visiting chef and television personality from Mexico, helped David cook tacos fused with Qatari flavours. Sheikha Reem Al Thani, acting deputy CEO of exhibitions and marketing and the director of centralized exhibitions at Qatar Museums (QM), accompanied David as he explored one of Qatar’s most iconic museums. Khalid & Majid, Qatari falcon trainers, greeted David at a desert camp near Khor Al Adaid, also known as the Inland Sea. Saeed Al Sulaiti, Qatari Motorcycle Champion, rode with David around The Pearl-Qatar, a man-made island with shops, hotels and colourful residential neighbourhoods. Hamida Issa Al Kuwari, a Qatari filmmaker, guided David through Katara Cultural Village, Qatar’s go-to destination for art, food, and culture. Khalid Al Hamadi, dhow & Qatari Marine Expert, accompanied David aboard a traditional wooden dhow boat