More than 100,000 additional people visited Qatar in the first half of 2015, compared to the same period last year, according to newly released government figures.
The growth in tourism was driven in large part by increasing traffic from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries, which accounted for 41 percent of visitors to Qatar from January to June 2015.
In a statement, QTA said that outside the GCC, arrivals were also up from France (8 percent), China (7 percent) and the US (6 percent).
Ramadan slowdown
Notably, the uptick in tourism over the past six months was in large part due to a robust first quarter, as the number of visitors here dropped off in May and June.
In fact, for the first time in four years, the number of tourists in Qatar dipped from May to June, likely due to Ramadan’s earlier summer start. During the fasting month, many people in the Gulf postpone traveling, saving their vacation for Eid holidays.
Despite the drop, Qatar still increased the number of visitors it saw over the past six months by seven percent, to 1.5 million people, compared to the same time last year.
That puts it on track to see some a milestone of 3 million visitors this year, prompting QTA to say Qatar is “well on its way to reaching a targeted 7 million visitors by 2030.”
The authority added that hotel occupancy rates also continue to climb – at 75 percent, they were up 2 percent from the same period in 2014.
This is despite the addition of 1,400 new rooms since January. Another 2,500 rooms from 13 properties are expected to open by the end of the year, QTA said.
Thoughts?
Can anyone tell me how Qatar differenciates between tourists and business/working visitors
Aside from MIA , Souq Waqif, and the Doha Corniche, I have no idea what tourists are up to in Qatar. Almost all things here are not competitive compared with the neighbors UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Some are up for begging.. several people with cars (KSA plates) beg for money to refill their tanks. It’s obviously becoming a trend 🙂
That was an experience that was becoming more frequent actually in KSA. Locals there filling up and then discovering they had no money to pay?
Pump attendants were regularly losing big chunks of their wages due to locals just driving off and not paying.
Some Saudis come to drink in the bars and pick up ladies for a fee….. (Still waiting for the DN exclusive on open prostitution in Qatar), when hey fancy a change from Bahrain. Other GCC citizens have family here mainly through inter marriage, so come for a visit.
Whoa! Kuwait?
The quarter of a million from Europe is a misnomer. The majority would not be classified as tourists in a traditional sense. People travelling here for a week on business, (visa on arrival), plus a large number of families members vision husbands, fathers working here. Again for most Europeans visa on arrival and once in they usually take a short break elsewhere.
As for other Asia, I don’t see them as tourists. They arrange tourist visas through a hotel and then look for a job.
Of course some come as tourists especially from GCC as you state but the QTA are being disingenuous. Europe might as well count all the illegal, unwashed “refugees” on the beaches of Italy and Greece as “tourists”
You are dead right. Its funny how conveniently they imply that “tourists” from Saudi Arabia and “other” GCC countries come here. I cannot for the life of me see why anyone from UAE, Oman or Bahrain would want to visit Doha for tourism. Kuwait may be an exception..
Again,
I just wish Doha news validates the logic behind numbers before publishing meaningless stats. What is tourism? Are we talking about business men hungry for that extra buck coming to Qatar to explore business opportunities? Or are we talking about family members coming to visit their other members, who might not be able to take a leave or get an ok from their boss? Are we talking about people who come and leave to perform some work while they are on a visit visa that can keep extending before they need to get out and back in?
No, This is NOT tourism. Tourism is when someone picks a country of an interest to go to and explore only for the sake of being a tourist. No financial gains, no checking up on family.. just plain tourism.
I HIGHLY doubt those numbers apply to tourists. A person flying to Australia with a back-pack, a 2,000 $ with 2 buddies is a tourist. A couple flying to Paris for some luxurious shopping and dining are tourists.. But, a fat 55 year old bald man flying to doha because Mr X booked him a 5 star hotel for a week to explore bringing his business to Qatar is NOT a tourist!
Same goes to that other thread about people who switch religions in Qatar during Ramadan… Who provides these numbers and who dictates what the real motives are before making these HUGE assumptions?
Stop playing with numbers PLEASE…. Shabina, you should know better. You are educated and I seriously doubt you are convinced in any of that! What is next? photoshop of something and calling it miracle?
Thanks