Futuristic sky scrapers, five-star hotels, beach resorts, elegant malls and a corniche that clings to the coastline providing a picturesque promenade adorned by parks, gardens and flowers. No, this is not Beverly Hills, this is West Bay Doha, the new face of Qatar’s capital.

It’s a development plan that echoes that of Dubai, which saw ‘New Dubai’ become established with the development of business and technology parks, such as Dubai Media City and Internet City, residential areas such as Downtown Dubai and towering landmarks such as Burj Khalifa. Today, New Dubai is definitely where the business world wants to meet.

Now, Doha is taking the same route, producing an elegant, cosmopolitan district where the business world can collide quite happily with leisure travellers, combining work with rest and play.