Tourism maintains momentum in Qatar
The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has recorded a 22-per-cent rise in tourist arrivals to Qatar from Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2011. This follows the 50-per-cent year-on-year increase recorded in 2011 compared with 2010. The QTA also announced that arrivals from Europe were up by 15 per cent, while tourist numbers from the Arab world had risen by 19 per cent and visitors from Asia had increased by 58 per cent.
The Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) has recorded a 22-per-cent rise in tourist arrivals to Qatar from Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2011. This follows the 50-per-cent year-on-year increase recorded in 2011 compared with 2010. The QTA also announced that arrivals from Europe were up by 15 per cent, while tourist numbers from the Arab world had risen by 19 per cent and visitors from Asia had increased by 58 per cent.
Qatar’s economy is thriving, and it has lavished money on its tourism sector, including the construction of its flagship Qatar National Convention Centre, which opened at the end of last year. It has also set itself up as a go-to host for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) such as the biannual Doha Trade Fair, as well as sporting events like the Qatar Open, and business travellers (who account for 72 per cent of arrivals) and tourists have been flocking to the country in order to attend such events. The country is also reportedly planning to bid for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, having recently won the right to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup, which is expected to attract an additional 500,000 visitors. Hotel expansion is already underway – the QTA has given its approval for the construction of 100 more hotels, according to tourism director Abdulla Malalla Al Bader.