Doha, October 30 (QNA) - The 2019 Trinity Forum kicked off in Doha Wednesday with the participation of hundreds of airport and retail industry leaders from around the world.

The two-day Forum, which is organized by The Moodie Davitt Report, Airports Council International (ACI), and ACI Asia-Pacific, is being held in the Middle East for the first time.

The Trinity Forum is an annual event that aims to explore how airports, concessionaires, and brands can work together for the benefit of consumers.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, HE Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker underlined the importance of innovation and creativity for the airport retail industry.

HE Al Baker said: "The retail environment at airports plays an important part in a passengers journey, and the Qatar Airways Group is unique in the industry in its ability to manage and deliver an outstanding customer experience across all touch points through our own trinity of airline, airport and retailer. Together, we are able to implement next generation ideas and enhancements."

"As we expand Hamad International Airport, it is even more important to provide an airport experience like never before to our passengers. To do this, we will be looking to continue our longstanding relationships with existing partners, as well as introducing new ones. The 2019 Trinity Forum provides a great opportunity to foster new partnerships," he added.

Al Baker hailed Qatar's selection as the first country in the region to host a Forum that brings together 700 people from around the world to discuss a number of topics related to the industry and ways to develop it.

He said that the decision of Qatar Airways to cancel the Duty Free on its aircraft enabled it to take advantage of the space it occupied on board for the benefit of passengers to provide a better travel experience.

HE Al Baker underlined that Qatar Airways and Hamad International Airport continued to expand their activities despite the challenges faced by the blockade, noting that Hamad International Airport will begin early next year an expansion which will feature a spectacular 11,720 sqm of landscaped retail and F&B space. The Expansion will allow the airport to increase its capacity to accommodate 53 million passengers annually by 2022.

He expected the number of passengers through Hamad International Airport to reach about 40 million passengers by the end of 2019. (QNA)