According to new data, the total number of foreign visitors to Qatar increased by 24.5% in August 2024 to 328,000.
The largest group of visitors, accounting for 41% of the total, came from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, according to data from the National Planning Council’s monthly statistics bulletin.
With 64% of all transit choices being by air, air travel was the most widely used means of visiting the Gulf nation.
The rise is consistent with the “National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030” of Qatar, which aims to attract more than six million tourists annually and establish the nation as the fastest-growing travel destination in the Middle East.
The bulletin also revealed that, with 8,605 new vehicles registered, there was an increase in total new driving licenses by 0.6% per month and an increase in newly registered vehicles overall by 11.3% from July 2024.
August saw a 6.7% annual increase in the broad money supply in the banking sector, reaching 731 billion Qatari riyals (USD 200 billion).
The amount of cash equivalents, which includes commercial bank deposits, increased by 11.6% year over year to reach 1.035 trillion riyals in August. In August, Qatar approved 721 building permits, which is an increase of 8.3% year over year.
The state is giving the tourism industry top priority as part of its diversification efforts, and in 2023 it welcomed more than four million visitors, the most in five years.
According to a press release at the time, the accomplishment, which was announced by the Qatar Tourism Authority in January 2024, demonstrates the nation’s ability to build on the momentum from the FIFA World Cup 2022.
The increase came at the same time that Qatar made a calculated decision to simplify travel, most notably by introducing the Hayya platform earlier in 2023, which made it easier for passengers to enter.
The programme supported Qatar’s lenient travel regulations by permitting citizens of 95 nations to obtain visas upon arrival.
Gulf Nation Bets Big On Its Tourism
Qatar is aiming to raise its tourism industry’s contribution to national GDP from 7.0% to 12.0%, if a report from the Dubai-based Alpen Capital is to be believed.
The country has a “strong lineup” of hotel projects under construction. By the end of 2023, Qatar had over 36 projects underway, with 8,922 rooms under construction, Alpen Capital said in its report on ‘GCC Hospitality Industry’.
According to the researcher, Qatar recorded 2.6 million international tourist arrivals in 2022, compared to 0.6 million in 2021. Qatar was the only country in the GCC to surpass pre-COVID levels, achieving 119.8% of the 2019 arrival figures.
“This significant increase in arrivals was due to the major events that took place in 2022, such as the Lusail Super Cup, the Darb Lusail Festival, the Qatar Motor Cycle Grand Prix, and the FIFA World Cup 2022,” Alpen Capital noted further.
Following the World Cup, Qatar Tourism launched a series of global marketing campaigns to promote tourism in the Gulf country. The ‘Feel More in Qatar’ campaign was launched in December 2022 to showcase the country’s position as a tourist destination.
Due to this, Qatar witnessed a 58.4% growth in international tourist arrivals in 2023, reaching a five-year high of 4.1 million arrivals.
In terms of occupancy rates, Alpen Capital noted that in Qatar, things remained stable at 57% (from 2020-2022). Although international tourist arrivals in the Gulf country surged over threefold to reach 2.6 million in 2022, the demand was met through the increased supply of hotels in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup 2022.
“Even after the tournament, Qatar continued to consistently attract tourists. However, it is expected to take some time for the surplus hotel supply to be absorbed by the rising demand for accommodation,” Alpen noted.