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Qatar to ‘Liberate’ Tourism Sector to Extend post-World Cup Boom

To capitalize on the record number of visitors that have flocked to Qatar since it hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022, the country intends to liberalize its hospitality sector.

In an interview last week in Dubai, Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, the chairman of Qatar Tourism, stated, “We will try to liberate the hospitality sector and remove any obstacles.” He declared, “We have a lot of limitations on hotels in terms of operating hours and licensing.”

The country in the Persian Gulf’s tourism sector has bucked expectations of a harsh decline following the biennial competition, which cost more than US$300 billion. In 2023, it saw four million visits, up 39% from the World Cup year.

According to Al Kharji, this year has also gotten off to a great start, with the capital Doha recording a record 700,000 visitors in January while hosting the AFC Asian Cup soccer event. According to the authorities, the city’s occupancy rate in the first quarter of this year was 75%, with 39,000 hotel rooms.

According to him, visitors from the US, Europe, and Asia made up about 44% of the total, with numbers from nearby Gulf countries also rising.

With a population of over 2.5 million, the country has enormous sway in international sports. It not only hosted the first-ever FIFA World Cup in the Middle East, but it also holds a majority share in Paris Saint-Germain, one of the best football teams in France.

Under a 10-year agreement that began in 2023, it also has a permanent slot on the Formula 1 racing schedule. The FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2027 and the FIFA Arab Cup the following year will both be held in Doha.

Although the athletic events have pulled in thousands of spectators, Al Kharji stated that Qatar’s current agenda includes conferences and exhibitions aimed at luring families, medical tourists, and business travellers.

Over the next ten years, Qatar will hold the Geneva International Motor Show in Doha every two years. The prestigious event was staged outside of Switzerland for the first time in its 2023 edition.

According to Al Kharji, Qatar will host the Web Summit for the next four years, drawing 17,000 visitors to the city in February.

To meet its goal of 6 million foreign visitors annually by 2030—nearly three times as many as in 2019—the gas-rich country is also introducing an increasingly full schedule of art, design, and fashion events.

By 2030, Qatar also hopes that the tourist sector will account for 12% of its GDP. Similar goals are shared by its regional counterparts.

While Saudi Arabia is investing US$1 trillion to promote itself as a travel destination, the United Arab Emirates, of which the Middle East’s tourism powerhouse Dubai is a part, hopes to increase the sector’s contribution to the GDP to US$122 billion by 2031.

Concerning the increasing rivalry among Gulf nations for tourism, Al Kharji responded, “We see the Gulf Cooperation Council as one destination. The World Cup affected the whole region.”

With the recent “double your discovery” campaign, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are allowing travellers to see both nations in a single trip. Approval of a new Schengen-style visa, which would allow visitors to enter all six GCC countries, is almost complete.

“Tourism is expanding in every GCC country, While Saudi Arabia is investing US$1 trillion to promote itself as a travel destination, the United Arab Emirates, of which the Middle East’s tourism powerhouse Dubai is a part, hopes to increase the sector’s contribution to the GDP to US$122 billion by 2031.

Concerning the increasing rivalry among Gulf nations for tourism, Al Kharji responded, “We see the Gulf Cooperation Council as one destination. The World Cup affected the whole region.”

With the recent “double your discovery” campaign, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are allowing travellers to see both nations in a single trip. Approval of a new Schengen-style visa, which would allow visitors to enter all six GCC countries, is almost complete.

“Tourism is expanding in every GCC country, and we will complement each other,” he said.

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