Qatar Plans Major Investments in Tourism

There is new demand for tourism to Qatar and the Qatar Tourism Authority is responding with a multi-billion-dollar investment, according to a report in the National.

“In 2015, investment in travel and tourism activity comprised 2.2 percent of the country’s total spending, with this expected to rise by 8.6 per year to 2026,” Chris Nelson reports.

One of the biggest drivers in the market is experiential travel, which is also the theme of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), which will take place April 24-27 in Dubai. 

“Qatar will look to generate 5.2 percent of its GDP through tourism over the coming years, creating 98,000 jobs and managing an inventory of 63,000 hotel rooms,” says Nelson. 

The country is planning major investments to grow tourism, investing $45 billion in developments to take place by 2030, with $2.3 billion invested in the 2022 FIFA World Cup facilities.

"Qatar’s well-paced national tourism sector strategy 2030 will steadily boost tourism numbers over the coming decade, with the first milestone of four million visitors a year by 2020 well on track," Simon Press, the ATM senior exhibition director, tells the National.

Qatar has a promising tourism future and is one of the fastest-growing destinations in the region.