Tourism in Qatar

Boosting tourism

A range of visa measures announced by Qatar Tourism (QT), formerly known as Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) and Qatar Tourism Autority (QTA), have been widely welcomed by tourism industry profesionals, as well as the country's hospitality and retail operators.

The introduction of the free, 96-hour transit visa and +Qatar (an initiative to promote Qatar as a stopover destination by QT and Qatar Airways) has resulted in bringing close to 200,000 visitors to Qatar.

In August 2017, Qatar introduced visa waivers for citizens of more than 95 countries. Since inception, at least 275,000 visitors have entered Qatar visa-free.

In 2022, Qatar introduced digital Hayya Card, the fan identification and an entry permit into Qatar during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM, resulted in bringing 1.3 mn international visitors to Qatar. It relaunched after the tournament allowing more access for tourists who currently require visas to enter Qatar.

Qatar is the safest country in the world, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index by Country 2023. Doha is ranked as the second safest city in the world, according to Numbeo’s Crime Index by City 2023. In recent years, Qatar and its capital city Doha have continued to retain their global distinction as one of the safest countries in the world. Qatar has taken the title as the world's safest country at least five times on Numbeo since in 2017. Qatar has been named the safest Arab country since 2015.

Doha has been named among the top cities to live in, according to the World Best Cities 2023 rankings by Resonance Consultancy, a leading global advisor on placemaking, branding and marketing for the world’s best cities, districts, developments and destinations.

The Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism named Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023 during its 25th session at the Arab League General Secretariat in December 2022.

Qatar offers a wide range of authentic tourism experiences, in addition to hosting close to 80 sporting events annually, and is the first Middle Eastern country to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM and the 2023 FINA World Swimming Championships.

Tourist arrivals

Qatar succesfully hosted the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM from 20 November to 18 December 2022, welcoming more than 1.4 mn. Visitors are still flocking to Qatar.

Qatar has welcomed more than 2 mn international visitors, with May and June registering the highest figure – 567,000 – ever recorded in the last ten years. International arrivals in 2023 have so far doubled compared to the levels seen pre-pandemic.

From 2023 to date, arrivals by air constituted 51% of all visitors to Qatar, while arrivals by land and sea comprised 37% and 12% of the total figures, respectively. Visitors from Saudi Arabia remain the top source market for international visitors this year, contributing to nearly a quarter of all arrivals. India and Germany follow.

Hotel and hotel apartment performance

Qatar's hospitality sector witnessed an improved room yield in April 2023, mainly lifted by five-star hotels and deluxe hotel apartments, as visitor arrivals surged compared to the same month last year. This comes in view of a 231.5% annual increase in visitor arrivals.

Cruise industry

Qatar continues to impress as a major international tourism destination. New data from Qatar Tourism (QT) reveals that the country welcomed 253,191 cruise visitors during its 2022–23 season (December 2022 – March 2023), an increase of 151% compared to the previous season (100,500 visitors).

This sharp uptake in visitor figures is particularly impressive given that this year’s cruise season began later than usual, in December rather than October, as the Doha Port was hosting floating hotels during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ to accommodate visitors and fans.

Over the past few years, QT and Mwani Qatar, the organisations responsible for managing the country’s shipping terminals and seaports, have established a number of strong relationships with international cruise operators as well as with other specialists involved in the industry. This has proved to be of great importance as Qatar benefitted from cruise ships during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as a means of providing additional accommodation for fans and visitors.

Two giant cruise ships served as floating hotels during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 at Doha Port. The cruise ships had a combined capacity of 4,000 rooms, which accommodated up to 9,400 people. Among the number of cruise visitors welcomed this season, 37,144 were turnaround passengers, a 790% increase on last season’s numbers (4,172 passengers). Qatar received a total of 54 calls during the 2022–23 cruise season, both transit and turnaround, which marks a 59% uptake on last year. Most cruise passengers originated from Germany, Italy, Russia, and the UK. Doha Port was able to welcome a 100% increase in mega ships – 44 were welcomed this season – with MSC World Europa bringing in the most passengers (13 calls in total).

The next cruise season 2023–24 will begin on 8 October 2023. Cruise passengers arriving to Qatar through Doha Port will be welcomed in the brandnew Grand Terminal that features state-of-the-art facilities. Upon exiting, passengers find themselves by the Mina District, a colourful destination where visitors can enjoy plenty of restaurant options, retail outlets, and a stunning promenade.

Cruise passengers can also avail of the new transit visa. As part of the new operating procedure – which includes the use of enhanced technology and close collaboration between cruise operators and security officials – a passenger manifest containing the passport details of passengers and crew will be shared with immigration officials 48 hours prior to a ship’s arrival in Qatar. This will allow the authorities to process all relevant information and clear passengers for entry before the ship's berthing, enabling travellers to disembark within minutes and begin on-shore excursions.

QT’s projections show continued growth in the cruise tourism industry over the coming years. With the completion of the Doha Port redevelopment, and the associated capacity increase, which allows the port to receive two megaships at once, Qatar is expected to attract 500,000 cruise tourists by 2026.

Next Chapter

On World Tourism Day 2017, held annually on 27 September, Qatar launched the Next Chapter of its National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030, which charted the next five years of the tourism sector’s growth in Qatar. According to QT, the next chapter aims to attract 6 mn visitors to Qatar annually. It also aims to achieve a 72% occupancy rate across all hotel establishments, through a combination of increasing demand and diversifying the country’s tourist accommodation offering.

Visitor arrivals in Doha are projected to grow by 104% by 2025, making it the fastest-growing tourist destination among major cities worldwide. The city is expected to see more than 4.51 mn visitors in 2025.

Tourism is expected to play a greater role in Qatar’s economy as the sector’s share of the country’s GDP will be nearly QAR133.5 bn in 2028, reports the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). Travel and tourism investment in Qatar may exceed QAR14.5 bn, or 4.2% of total investments in the country, in 2028.

Qatar Tourism (QT)

In November 2018, The Amir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued Decision No 74 of 2018 establishing Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC), cancelling QTA and the government committee to coordinate conferences and events. In 2021, Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) was renamed Qatar Tourism (QT).

Chaired by Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, QT promotes Qatar as a destination around the world, through its destination branding, international representation and participation at trade shows, and by developing a rich calendar of festivals and events. QT is growing internationally with representative offices in London, Paris, Berlin, Milan, Singapore and more cities. QT works in partnership with public and private stakeholders to achieve this mission by planning, regulating and promoting a sustainable and diverse tourism industry while perpetuating Qatar’s culture.

In 2014, Qatar launched the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy (QNTSS), which seeks to diversify the country’s tourism offering and increase the sector’s contribution to Qatar’s economy by 2030.

For more information, visit visitqatar.qa or qatartourism.com.