Qatar has continued to welcome record numbers of travellers in 2024 thanks to its extensive tourism offerings and streamlined visa requirements.
As per the most recent data disclosed by Qatar Tourism, the nation received 317,000 tourists in July 2024. With this, the total number of visitors for the first seven months of 2024 is 2.956 million, up 26.2% from the same time in 2023.
More than four million tourists arrived in 2023, a record-breaking figure considering that only 2.56% of visitors arrived in 2022. The year is on track to break previous records with more people visiting Qatar in the first seven months of 2024 than in any previous year during the same period.
As of now this year, Saudi Arabia has contributed 0.86 million visitors, making it the top source nation. India came in second with 238,000 visitors, followed by Bahrain in third place with 135,000 visitors. The US, UK, UAE, China, Kuwait, Oman, and Germany continued to be the other major sources.
Of the total number of foreign arrivals in July, 127,000 entered through the Saudi Arabian land border at Abu Samra, while 189,000 arrived by air.
Industry insiders predict that there will be approximately 4.5 million visitors worldwide in 2024, and that figure will increase to 4.9 million by 2025.
The country’s tourism industry has grown significantly as a result of the Hayya platform’s (online visa portal) easing and simplification of visit visa procedures.
Entry into Qatar is free of charge for citizens of 102 nations; citizens of other nations can obtain an electronic visa by using the Hayya platform.
As Qatar seeks to diversify and maintain its economic growth, tourism has also emerged as a crucial industry. “Qatar National Vision 2030” and the “Third National Development Strategy 2024–2030” are serving as the foundation for the nation’s tourism policies.
The primary objectives of the strategy for the tourism sector are to draw six million tourists per year and increase the industry’s share of GDP to 12% by 2030.