Qatar is working towards achieving its goal of receiving six million tourists by 2030.
Qatar has attracted visitors from across the region, with travellers from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries making up 53 percent of the total arrivals.
Aiming to become one of MENA’s fastest-growing tourism destinations, Qatar welcomed 370,051 visitors from the GCC in January 2024 compared to 141,998 in the same month last year.
According to the official data by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA), Arab countries represented 7% as 51,583 sightseers came to Qatar from this region in January this year compared to 9,446 in January 2023, recording a rise of 446.1 percent on an annual basis.
The extension of the Hayya Card initially introduced as a fan visa during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, benefitted tourists visiting Qatar for the AFC Asian Cup that kicked off this year.
Qatar received 702,800 global visitors in January alone as it hosted the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 for a third time.
According to the report by PSA, of the total visitors, 15% belonged to Asian countries.
Visitors from African countries stood at 8,962 in January 2024, while European visitors accounted for 20% of the total, and they stood at 137,202 in January this year compared to 100,459 in the same period in 2023.
The vast number of tourists comes after Qatar wrapped up a thriving year in 2023 by welcoming more than four million visitors, marking the highest figure in five years, according to Qatar News Agency.
Qatar Tourism is working towards developing the sector of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions to achieve its tourism sector goals further.
The tourism sector’s strategies include participating in international trade exhibitions, establishing a hotline for tourists, and creating an e-service to streamline calendar event browsing.
These events included this year’s Web Summit, which wrapped up last month and is one of the most important technology conferences globally.
The edition in Qatar is the first in the MENA region.
Another key event is the renowned annual Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, which was also held last month.
Beyond being a host of major events, Qatar’s position as one of the safest countries in the world attracts tourists.
Qatar has been ranked as the “Safest Country in the World” on the Numbeo Crime Index for five consecutive years, and the capital, Doha, is ranked as one of the safest cities on a global scale.
This also falls under the Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to create a “safe, secure, and stable society based on effective institutions.”
Doha was also named as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023.
