Almost two million people from all over the world are anticipated to attend the worldwide football event hosted by Qatar from November 20 to December 18.

Qatar had 151,000 international visitors in July, the highest number of visitors reported in the summer months since 2017. 

According to a statement issued by the Qatar Tourism Authority on Wednesday, citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries accounted for 62% of total visitors.

Visitors from Saudi Arabia made up 43% of all visitors, followed by India at 7%, Oman 6%, Kuwait 4%, Bahrain 5%, the UAE 4%, the United States 3%, and the United Kingdom 3%.

According to the most recent tourism performance figures, there is also an increasing number of visitors visiting the country by land. 

The statement said 55% of total tourists chose to enter Qatar via the Abu Samra land port with Saudi Arabia, which was recently expanded to facilitate the passage of 24,800 vehicles per day, while the proportion of arrivals by air reached 45% and by sea 1%.

The number of tourists visiting Qatar reached a new peak in the first half of this year, with 729,000 visitors, a 19% rise over the total number of visitors in the previous year.

According to Qatar tourism data, the Qatari hospitality sector achieved positive returns, with 3.1 million hotel nights sold, while the supply of rooms is steadily increasing, with 30,000 rooms recorded during the first half.

The authority expects visitor flows to increase more strongly in the second half of this year with the beginning of the World Cup football tournament.

According to Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA, almost two million people from all over the world are anticipated to attend the worldwide football event hosted by Qatar from November 20 to December 18.