Qatar’s hospitality and retail sectors are expected to get a further boost as a big number of visitors from GCC countries may opt to spend their Eid al-Adha holidays in Qatar, according to Qatar-Indonesia Business Council president Farhan al-Sayed.
He told Gulf Times that hotel occupancy could increase significantly with the growing interest of both residents and visitors to spend their holidays in the country.
“Eid al-Adha could be a busy one in Qatar and I’m expecting that a big number of Saudi tourists will come to the country,” al-Sayed said, adding that GCC citizens can enter Qatar based on the guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
The detailed quarantine exemption criteria for individuals vaccinated against Covid-19 in GCC countries are posted on the MoPH website.
Al-Sayed said getting a small chunk of the "2mn Saudi nationals who travel to the UAE annually" to come to Doha will have a huge impact on tourism and other businesses in Qatar.
He said he expects the number of visitors to further multiply as the 2022 FIFA World Cup comes closer. Especially when this summer ends, “we could go back to the past and see more families from Saudi going to Qatar every weekend,” he added.
Besides hotels, al-Sayed said Qatar’s malls and shopping centres will witness a rise in footfall this Eid – both from residents and visitors – further boosting the retail sector’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is learnt that people now feel more confident to visit malls and shops as a big percentage of the eligible population in Qatar has been vaccinated, in addition to continuously adhering to Covid-19 precautionary measures.
Officials of malls and shopping centres in the country lauded the speedy vaccination programme of the Qatar government, which included inoculating key workers in the service sector who are in direct contact with customers.
He told Gulf Times that hotel occupancy could increase significantly with the growing interest of both residents and visitors to spend their holidays in the country.
“Eid al-Adha could be a busy one in Qatar and I’m expecting that a big number of Saudi tourists will come to the country,” al-Sayed said, adding that GCC citizens can enter Qatar based on the guidelines set by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
The detailed quarantine exemption criteria for individuals vaccinated against Covid-19 in GCC countries are posted on the MoPH website.
Al-Sayed said getting a small chunk of the "2mn Saudi nationals who travel to the UAE annually" to come to Doha will have a huge impact on tourism and other businesses in Qatar.
He said he expects the number of visitors to further multiply as the 2022 FIFA World Cup comes closer. Especially when this summer ends, “we could go back to the past and see more families from Saudi going to Qatar every weekend,” he added.
Besides hotels, al-Sayed said Qatar’s malls and shopping centres will witness a rise in footfall this Eid – both from residents and visitors – further boosting the retail sector’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is learnt that people now feel more confident to visit malls and shops as a big percentage of the eligible population in Qatar has been vaccinated, in addition to continuously adhering to Covid-19 precautionary measures.
Officials of malls and shopping centres in the country lauded the speedy vaccination programme of the Qatar government, which included inoculating key workers in the service sector who are in direct contact with customers.
