Over 729,000 people visited Qatar in the first half of this year, a 19 percent increase compared to the total numbers of visitors during the whole of 2021.
In a sign of the country’s tourism recovery, the number of international visitors to Qatar last June reached 149,000, the highest in summer months to the country in the past five years, according to Qatar Tourism.
Qatar, which hosts this year’s FIFA World Cup, expects a stronger inflow of tourists in the second half of 2022. With tourism an important pillar of the ‘Qatar National Vision 2030’, Qatar National Tourism Council seeks to establish the country as a world-leading destination and welcome more than six million visitors a year by 2030. To achieve the mission, an extensive tourism development strategy is underway as Qatar works to diversify and build appeal for residents and visitors.
In June, visitors from neighbouring Saudi Arabia topped the list of arrivals with 26 percent of the total, followed by India with 10 per cent, the US and Oman with 5 percent each and the UAE, Kuwait and the UK with 4 percent each. As many as 34 percent of the total visitors entered by land (51,000), 6 percent by sea (10,000), and 59 percent by air (88,000) via Qatar’s Hamad International Airport.
Before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicks off in November an assortment of exceptional new tourism developments will open across the country.
According to Qatar Tourism, by the year 2030, attracting over six million international visitors per year will be the target to make Qatar the fastest growing destination in the Middle East.
Qatar aims to capitalise on the influx of over one million visitors expected for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and show the world its hidden treasures and unmissable holiday potential.
Among the five new places that will be opening before the world cup kicks off are Doha Winter Wonderland, which is expected to attract over 1.5 million visitors per year, is situated at Al Maha Island in Lusail city. Others are Fuwairit Kite Beach, Outpost Al Barari, Qetaifan Island North and West Bay North Beach Project.
Qatar is considered one of the safest tourist destinations in the world. The country offers a blend of tradition and modernity that’s difficult to find elsewhere in the world. It celebrates its heritage, but still offers newcomers and travellers modern amenities, hotels and infrastructure, and a mix of international cultures, cuisines and lifestyles.
