Qatar seeks to strengthen its position as a leading tourist destination in the region, by diversifying its tourism offerings and easing restrictions imposed on the hospitality sector, while focusing on regional cooperation to enhance the attractiveness of the Gulf region as a whole.
Qatar intends to ease restrictions on the hospitality sector with the aim of capitalizing on the significant increase in tourism that the country has witnessed since its successful hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
This trend comes in light of the Qatari tourism sector exceeding expectations by achieving record numbers in the number of visitors during the past year and the beginning of this year, supported by an ambitious strategy to diversify the sources of tourist attractions.
Saad bin Ali Al-Kharji, Chairman of the Qatar Tourism Authority, stated that the relevant authorities will work to liberalize the hospitality sector and remove the obstacles facing hotels with regard to working hours and licenses.
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The country’s tourism sector exceeded expectations by achieving remarkable growth in the number of visitors during the year 2023, as the country received 4 million visitors, an increase of 39% over the year that witnessed the hosting of the World Cup.
The beginning of 2024 also saw a strong performance, with Doha welcoming a record 700,000 visitors in January during its hosting of the AFC Asian Cup. The occupancy rate in hotels in the capital reached 75% in the first quarter of the year.
The nationalities of visitors varied, with about 44% of them coming from neighboring Gulf countries, while the number of arrivals increased from Europe, the United States and Asia.
Qatar now aims to attract more families, medical tourists and business travelers by organizing a variety of conferences, exhibitions, sporting and cultural events.
These events include the Qatar Economic Forum, the Geneva International Motor Show, the Web Summit, the Arab Football Cup and the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Qatar also plans to organize a busy schedule of events in the fields of art, design and fashion as part of its efforts to reach its goal of attracting 6 million international visitors annually by 2030.
