This year marked a 43% increase in travel costs compared to last year.

Qataris spent QAR 21.3 billion on travel during the first six months of 2022, according to local outlet Marsal.

With the easing of Covid-19 restrictions globally and the gradual end of quarantine requirements, the number appears to have hit an all-time high record since the start of the pandemic.

Compared to just last year, the percentage has increased by 43.3%— hitting almost double the amount.

Last year, many countries still held rigid restrictions on tourists attempting to make visits. However, with the vaccination drive expanding and cases slowly decreasing worldwide, the tourism sector has once again seen a boom, with nations continuing to drop Covid-related health regulations.

Qatar itself has removed most of its travel restrictions this year, allowing vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens to enter the Gulf nation without the need to quarantine.

The post-travel PCR test is free of charge for Qataris, adding yet another layer of convenience for citizens wishing to travel.

Expansion, re-opening

Qatar has already seen a spike in the number of visitors over the past year, even months ahead of the World Cup. During April, Doha had one of the largest volumes of scheduled airline seats in the region, according to data by a global travel data provider.

The nation was also ranked sixth in the Airports Council International (ACI) 2021 report in the top ten airports with the highest international patronage (17,701,978), only behind Dubai, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Paris airports.

Last month, authorities re-opened the Doha International Airport to accommodate more fans as the tournament nears its kick-off.

Meanwhile, Hamad International Airport has also undergone an expansion project, which is set to increase HIA’s annual passenger handling capacity to 58 million.