Ready for kick off

Qatar Tourism COO Berthold Trenkel provides an update on FIFA World Cup preparations

Q: What progress has been made with preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™?

Qatar Tourism’s mission is to create an unparalleled worldleading experience for visitors to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and as such, an extensive tourism development programme is underway. There are more than 100 hotel and hotel apartments currently under construction, several of which will be completed in time for the World Cup. The recent metro system, Uber and taxi services are being developed further to make getting to and around the country an easy and seamless experience. We’re also making several improvements to tourism assets, such as beaches, traditional dhow boats, museums and sites of natural beauty, to ensure travellers see the best of Qatar outside of the World Cup football matches.

Q: What guest experiences do you have planned to ensure visitors stay in Qatar for as long as possible?

Qatar Tourism’s extensive tourism development programme includes

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™

November 21 – December 18, 2022 the construction of many new resorts, hotels and hotel apartments, restaurants, leisure projects and activities, ensuring there all types of travellers and budgets are catered to. Qatar is a land that packs an unexpected plurality of exciting cultural and natural adventures all into one sun-swept coastal peninsula where everything is within easy reach.

Travellers can enjoy the country’s spectacular sandy beaches and water sports, alongside an everexpanding selection of premium spas and four- and five-star hotels.

Visitors can experience aweinspiring architecture, traditional souqs, and world-class museums, as well as cuisines ranging from local and traditional fare to modern and international gastronomy – all with the promise of first-class hospitality. Qatar is host to a wide range of world-class events including the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, Commercial Bank Golf Masters, Qatar Grand Prix, as well as Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition and Doha Winter Wonderland, opening in November 2022, to name a few. There is something for everyone in Qatar and we welcome travellers from around the world to visit the destination and ‘Experience a World Beyond’.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will mark the first time the world’s largest football tournament has been hosted in the Middle East. Fans will be able to watch more than two live matches per day, with all stadiums located within a 55km (35 mile) radius of Doha and within 75km of one another, ensuring the tournament is extremely accessible for supporters who want to travel from one match to the next.

Q: What is the expected economic and tourism contribution of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ ?

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will play an integral role in achieving the National Vision, which aims to establish Qatar as a world-leading destination, with a view to attracting more than six million visitors annually by 2030, tripling the 2019 level.

To achieve this vision, Qatar Tourism is expanding and diversifying the tourism proposition extensively and putting the visitor at the heart of all new programmes and initiatives.

Q: What will be the event’s tourism legacy?

We’re investing in world-class infrastructure to create a dynamic and more diversified economy beyond the energy sector, driving the development of the private sector and fields such as tourism so they become key GDP drivers.

Our role at Qatar Tourism is to continue to evolve the tourism experience by promoting new hotel developments, theme parks, restaurants, shops, and major leisure projects in the lead-up to, during, and beyond the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

We are cementing the foundations for guests to have a safe, exciting and unforgettable experience while in Qatar. We have also enhanced the digital ecosystem for travellers, with a new website launched, VisitQatar.com, available in six languages and supported by the Personalised Travel Companion mobile app, designed to showcase our destination.

Q: With Qatar now staging a medley of sporting events, including, most recently, the Formula 1 Grand Prix and MotoGP Championship, what is the value of sports tourism to Qatar?

We have hosted and supported several international sporting events. In 2022, these have included the Qatar ExxonMobil Open and Qatar TotalEnergies Open (tennis), Commercial Bank Golf Masters, MotoGP, and, in 2021, these events plus Formula One and the FIFA Arab Cup.

International and domestic tourism is extremely important to Qatar’s economy, and sports tourism plays an integral role in achieving Qatar’s vision. To this end, Qatar has invested in exceptional sports stadiums and facilities that are all within easy reach of each other, such as Education City Stadium and Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.

Q: What is the destination’s long-term sports tourism strategy and how will the sector put the destination on the world map?

More than one million fans are expected to travel to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, which will be the first World Cup ever hosted in the Middle East.

The tournament will also be the most compact in World Cup modern history, with the longest distance between stadiums just 75km, so fans will never be far from the action. It means they will be able to attend more than one match in one day, without the need to switch accommodation.

Qatar has invested in exceptional sports stadiums and facilities to host and accommodate players, teams and fans attending a wide range of world-class sporting events now, and in the future.

Q: What other niche tourism sectors is Qatar ramping up in 2022 and beyond?

Today, Qatar is one of the safest destinations in the world, centred around the generous hospitality of its people, such is the Qatari and Arabian culture.

The best hotel brands, restaurants, spas, and shops have created an oasis of luxury in Doha, in the heart of the Middle East.

There are now several new major projects in progress, including the West Bay North Beach Project and Lusail City. The West Bay North Beach Project is an extensive new development constructed over an area of 60,200 sqm and a beach length of 1.5 km.

The area will be divided into plots to be utilised as private beaches for hotels, as well as a public beach.

Lusail City is located across

38,000 sqm and will feature a blend of residential and commercial neighbourhoods, including 22 hotels, golf courses and an amusement park.

It will be at the centre of the World Cup plans and already houses the new Lusail Stadium, which will stage the final match of the World Cup.

Theme parks include the Desert Falls Water & Adventure Park at Hilton Salwa Beach Resort & Villas, the largest waterpark in Qatar, with 28 exhilarating rides and slides; and the Quest theme park, which is home to the world’s tallest indoor shot-and-drop tower and the world’s tallest indoor rollercoaster.

Qatar is enhancing its cruise infrastructure with a new Grand Cruise Terminal currently under construction, conveniently located near the Museum of Islamic Art and the Souq and offering spectacular views of the West Bay Skyline. Once completed, the terminal will be able to host two megaships simultaneously and offer various tourist attractions, including a botanical garden, aquarium and a national gallery.

“Since the start of the pandemic, governments across the Middle East have shown real commitment to travel and tourism. Saudi Arabia in particular, has shown strong leadership throughout the crisis and is making a major investment in travel and tourism. 2022 is poised for a strong recovery if governments across the region continue to open up their borders and remove restrictions to travel, which will have a massive positive effect on both the economy, the society, and

JULIA SIMPSON PRESIDENT & CEO, WTTC

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Travel and tourism GDP contribution in the US, exceeding pre-pandemic levels by 6.2%.

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Predicted travel and tourism contribution in the Middle East, just 8.9% behind pre-pandemic levels ($270bn)

58mn

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