Over two million visitors have already come to Qatar this year

Qatar received more than two million visitors in 2016 so far, according to a brief report that we received from Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) on Wednesday.

Total visitors to Qatar between January and September 2016 reached 2,182,769.

Visits of GCC nationals continued to increase in September. Year-to-date visitor-arrivals from the GCC was dominated by visits from nationals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who increased their visits by 8% and 17% respectively compared to 2015.

Visits from Bahraini and Kuwaiti nationals were up as well, by 3% and 2% respectively. Visits paid by Omani nationals were down by 5%. Overall, year-to-date arrivals from the GCC region grew by 7% compared to the same period in 2015.

Meanwhile, visitors entering the country on the Qatar-Oman tourist visa increased on an annual basis by 2% year-to-date. Nationals of the Americas increased their visits by 5% year-on-year in the first nine months of 2016.

September saw the week-long Eid in Qatar Celebrations, a festival which typically draws families from around the region. The number of Saudi visitors alone reached over 100,000 during this month.

As Qatar prepares to welcome its first cruise ship on October 18, which will carry tourists from 45 countries, QTA projects further modest increases in visitor arrivals during the final quarter of the year.

Courtesy: Qatar Tourism Authority  | Cover Image: Jameel Riaz (QL Flickr Group)