FEATURE
Holiday Homes By Ola Diab Are you a home or villa owner with a spare property looking for extra income? Rent it now to travellers from all over the world on one of the various platforms that offer holiday rentals.
Q
atar Tourism has announced an expedited process to issue Holiday Homes licences for residential property owners in Qatar to enlist their units for short-term rentals through popular international websites such as Airbnb, booking.com, holidayhomes.com and Vrbo.
said,‘Qatar Tourism invites all residential property owners to share our spirit of hospitality while generating extra income from their unused units by simply getting a Holiday Homes licence. Steps and requirements needed for the licence are available on our website.’
The entity is receiving a growing number of enquiries on the licensing process from citizens and investors through its website, and has therefore introduced a helpline and simplified process to issue licences within a week. However, Qatar Tourism officials warned that property owners who bypass the process and rent their homes to vacationers without a licence risk receiving a prison sentence of up to two years and/or a QAR200,000 fine.
Online application
According to Mohamed Al Ansari, Director of Tourism Licensing, the spirit of hospitality is a distinct feature of Qatari tradition. He said that this is a chance to showcase Qatar's true essence as they prepare to host visitors from every corner of the world for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. Al Ansari
PLACES TO STAY IN QATAR E-GUIDE ©
Featured under the e-services section of the Qatar Tourism corporate website, the Holiday Homes page offers the options for homeowners to either fill in a simple form to request a call back from the Qatar Tourism agents, or follow the steps in the portal user guide to apply online. Once the application is accepted, a team inspects the unit to finalise the process. The free-of-charge Holiday Homes licence is valid for five years and can be renewed to allow property owners to generate extra income by renting out their residential units for short-term use. It also gives them the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and celebrate Qatar’s tradition of hospitality.
MARHABA
10 PLACES TO STAY IN QATAR E-GUIDE .indd 1
6/8/22 2:26 PM
