Travel and tourism sector is set to contribute an “all-time high” of QR90.8bn to the Qatari economy this year, which will account for 11.3% of total output, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR).
The sector will support more than 334,500 jobs across Qatar, which will account for 15.8% of the total workforce in 2024, WTTC noted.
Spending by international travellers is expected to increase significantly this year, with forecasts indicating a record spend of QR 69.6bn this year, while domestic spend is projected to reach QR12bn.
“This success is testament of the government’s commitment in prioritising collaboration between the public and private sectors to boost Qatar’s travel and tourism, creating diverse and immersive experiences for visitors.
“As part of these collaborative efforts, dedicated working groups across multiple industries have been established, with regular meetings planned to tackle challenges and leverage private sector expertise to drive travel and tourism growth,” WTTC said in its Economic Impact Research.
WTTC President & CEO Julia Simpson said, “Qatar's travel and tourism sector is poised to break records this year, highlighting its significance as a leading destination in the Middle East.
“While international visitor spending is lagging behind the previous peak, the government’s efforts and emphasis in collaboration will propel Qatar’s travel and tourism growth, setting the stage to play a crucial role in the national economic landscape, promising a future defined by prosperity and opportunity.”
The global tourism body is forecasting that the sector will grow its annual GDP contribution to more than QR135bn by 2034, nearly 13% of Qatar’s economy, and is projected to employ nearly 458,000 people across the country, with one in five residents working in the sector.
The Middle Eastern Travel & Tourism sector grew by more than 25% in 2023 to reach almost $460bn.
Jobs reached nearly 7.75mn and international spending grew by 50% to reach $179.8bn. Domestic visitor spending grew by 16.5% to reach more than $205bn.
WTTC is forecasting that Travel & Tourism across the region will continue to grow throughout 2024 with the GDP contribution set to reach $507bn.
Jobs are forecast to reach 8.3mn, international visitor spending is forecast to reach $198bn and domestic visitor spending is expected to reach more than $224bn.
World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) has revealed the Qatari travel and tourism sector reached new heights last year, with GDP contribution, jobs and domestic traveller spend all surpassing previous peaks.
Last year, travel and tourism GDP contribution grew by 31% to reach a record-breaking QR81.2bn, representing 10.3% of Qatar’s total economic output, demonstrating the sector’s importance to the national economy, WTTC noted.
The sector also proved to be a vital source of employment, creating more than 20,300 new jobs, and raising the total to nearly 286,000 nationwide, representing one in every eight jobs across the country.
Domestic visitor spend was also stronger than ever to reach QR1.4bn.
“Yet despite holding the FIFA World Cup in the previous year (2022) and with spending by overseas visitors increasing by nearly 40% year-on-year to reach QR60.4bn, it was still behind the previous peak by QR1.2bn,” WTTC said.
