With less than 40 days before the World Cup, another attraction has been officially opened on Qatar’s northern coast – Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort (FKB), the first kitesurfing destination in the country.
A ribbon cutting was held yesterday with the participation of Minister of Environment and Climate Change, H E Sheikh Dr. Faleh bin Nasser bin Ahmed bin Ali Al Thani; and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive and Qatar Tourism Chairman, H E Akbar Al Baker along with other officials.
Al Baker said: “At Qatar Airways, we are proud to bring the world and communities together through travel of course but also through sports, this resort allows us to continue that mission and tradition as we have yet another wonderful and beautiful reason to invite and transport guests to our shores.”
He also stressed that the resort is committed to preserving the ecosystem that surrounds it.
“Qatar is known to be a nesting ground for many hawksbill turtles and Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort will be dedicated to maintaining this biodiversity allowing these wonderful sea creatures to continue living in their natural habitat.” It can be noted that a hawksbill sea turtle habitat is nearby the resort.
During the opening of the resort yesterday, Al Baker along with H E Dr. Al Thani and several guests and officials also released hawksbill sea turtles. World Cup visitors will likewise have the chance to release hawkbill sea turtles when they visit the resort.
The Group Chief Executive described FKB as a “perfect beach destination” and “combines the skies and the seas giving Qatar Airways the opportunity to showcase one of the fastest growing and most accelerating sports, and with Fuwairit Kite Beach Resort continues to further cement Qatar as a world class destination for us all.”
Al Baker highlighted that the resort is the only one of its kind that specialises in kitesurfing in the Arabian Peninsula and is “one of the best and most sophisticated kitesurfing destination anywhere in the world.”
FKB is among the world’s best kitesurfing destination with a favourable wind conditions for the sport for over nine months in a year compared to the usual three to five months, explained Al Baker to reporters.
Moreover, Qatar Airways is also the Title Partner and Official Airline of the Global Kitesports Association (GKA) Kite World Tour which is set in FKB in 2023 and 2024.
The Peninsula talked to two athletes who are among the world’s best in kitesurfing – Bruna Kajiya from Brazil and Valentine Rodriguez from Colombia. They both agreed that the resort is the perfect place for kitesurfing because of the shallow flat crystal clear waters.
“The hotel is just top-notch for kiteboarding location – we don’t find anywhere like this,” said Kajiya. Meanwhile, Rodriguez said: “It’s an amazing spot, it’s super amazing, and beautiful.” Both athletes will be competing for the GKA Kite World Tour in 2023 and 2024.
FKB is an hour drive away from Doha and boasts 50 rooms. Aside from kitesurfing, it offers a variety of adventuresome activities like paddle-boarding, parasailing, wakeboarding, kayaking, snorkeling, scuba-diving, among others.