Qatar well positioned to welcome a large number of visitors in 2022

Qatar is well-positioned to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, PTV Group Middle East, India and Africa managing director Andrea Petti said on Thursday.

“Qatar has taken significant steps to ensure traffic management and crowd modelling and pedestrian routes are being optimised,” he said, stressing “the country is using the latest technologies and software to give visitors a stress-free visit.”

PTV Group organised a Mobility Day in Doha on Thursday, bringing together transport industry leaders to discuss solutions for Qatar’s transport infrastructure, including transportation systems that will be put in place for the prestigious tournament in 2022.

The 40-year-old company, involved with crowd modelling and real-time traffic management, has been operating in Qatar for 14 years. "We are in close partnership with the Ministry of Transportation and Communication (MoTC)", Petti noted.

“In 2018 over 1.8mn people travelled to the host city Moscow for the FIFA World Cup. As Qatar prepares to host in 2022 with new stadiums and facilities for visitors, it is imperative that there is the right infrastructure in place to manage these people,” Petti said.

Petti added that the 2022 FIFA World Cup serves as a major test for the country, its infrastructures, and the ability to accommodate a large number of visitors.

“We heard today (at the event) that 1.5mn people are expected, but I believe this number will be exceeded,” he said.

The seminar also saw Dr Wissam Elhamra from MoTC discussing the two transportation modelling pillars for Qatar, which contributed to the development of its transportation infrastructure.

Some of the topics tackled during the event included crowd modelling and planning for pedestrians, logistics -vehicle planning and routing: a key ingredient for successful last mile fulfillment, and creating smarter, safer and less congested cities with location technologies.