Fifa World Cup 2022 host Qatar aims to increase tourism through more sports, arts and other events, and medical tourism

Visitor numbers to Qatar rose 39 per cent in 2023 after it hosted the Fifa World Cup in 2022, and the nation plans to draw more tourists in the coming years

While sporting events help draw the crowds, Qatar is aiming to lure families, medical tourists, business travellers, art lovers and fashion fans as well

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A crowd in Doha, Qatar, on December 30, 2023. Qatar, which hosted the 2022 Fifa World Cup, wants to have 6 million international visitors annually by 2030. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 1:45pm, 15 May 2024Updated: 2:10pm, 15 May 2024

Qatar plans to liberalise its hospitality industry to build on the record number of tourists thronging the nation since it hosted the Fifa World Cup, in 2022.

“We will try to liberate the hospitality sector and remove any obstacles,” Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, the chairman of Qatar Tourism, said in an interview in Dubai last week. “We have many restrictions on hotels regarding operating hours and licensing.”

The Persian Gulf nation’s tourism industry has defied predictions of a hard landing after the quadrennial tournament, on which it splurged more than US$300 billion. It welcomed four million visitors in 2023, a 39 per cent increase over the World Cup year.

This year has also started on a strong note, with capital Doha clocking a record 700,000 visitors in January, as it hosted the AFC Asian Cup football tournament, Al Kharji said.

Argentina celebrate winning the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar. Photo: Xinhua

The city’s hotels, which have 39,000 rooms, had an occupancy rate of 75 per cent in the first quarter of 2024, according to the authority.