Qatar’s tourism sector continues to witness a strong recovery with more than 729,000 international visitors choosing Qatar as a destination in the first half of 2022, up 19% on 2021. Qatar witnessed robust international visitation in June, with 149,000 visitors, marking the highest visitation in the summer month in the last 5 years. 34% of the total visitors entered by Land (51,000), 6% by Sea (10,000), and 59% by Air (88,000) via Qatar’s Hamad International Airport, which was recently voted the “World’s Best Airport” by Skytrax for the second year in a row.
Regional markets delivered impressive tourism volumes, as the most significant inbound markets to Qatar in June are Saudi Arabia (26%), India (10%), USA (5%), Oman (5%), UK (4%), UAE (4%) and Kuwait (4%). The month of June also marked the end of Qatar’s winter cruise season, which ran from December 2021 to June this year. During the season, Qatar welcomed 101,000 cruise ship visitors, with some 34 cruise ship calls. This is approximately 12% of the total arrivals during the same period of last year.Qatar’s hospitality also sector saw a positive return with 3.1mn room-nights sold by June 2022 compared with the 3.2mn room nights sold by June 2019 (pre-pandemic levels), as room supply increases steadily to 30,000 keys by June this year. The total hotel sector revenue is also up by 17% in June 2022 compared with June 2021, split across room (51%), F&B (39%) and others (10%). Despite the normally slower demand during summer months, nearly 542,000 room nights were sold in June 2022.Commenting on the spike of tourism figures this year, Qatar Tourism chief operating officer Berthold Trenkel said, “Over the first half of the year, we witnessed a 19% increase in the number of international arrivals compared to full year 2021 and are expecting an even stronger second half, as this is a legacy year for Qatar as the host of the first-ever FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament in the Arab world and the Middle East. “To accommodate this growth, we are expecting 50 hotels to open by the end of the year, as well as the launch of several world-class tourism attractions, such as kite beach resorts and Lusail Winter Wonderland.”He added: “It is evident that Qatar is one of the fastest-growing destinations in the world and what we have witnessed during the past ten years in terms of infrastructure development - with new hospitality, retail, cultural and educational facilities - is a clear indicator of what we can achieve. Attracting more visitors and achieving our goals will lead to more investment in Qatar's tourism sector.”Qatar Tourism works closely with public and private sector partners to collaborate and develop products and experiences that help reinforce Qatar’s position as a preferred visitor destination. From hosting Qatar's most anticipated exhibition, the Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition (DJWE), to Eid festivities, Summer Campaigns, and major sporting events such as the upcoming Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix, Qatar Tourism works with partners to ensure fun-filled entertainment and memorable experiences are available for residents and visitors all year round. For up-to-date information on events in Qatar, visit Qatarcalendar.com or follow @qatarcalendar on Facebook and Instagram.