From the towering skyscrapers in West Bay along the Corniche to traditional dhows and luxury yachts along the shimmering inland waters of the Arabian Gulf and the sprawling desert sands, Qatar offers a plethora of activities for fans as around 1.2 million are estimated to attend the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for Qatar to market itself as a tourism destination and display its tourism hosting capabilities. It is also an opportunity for lesser-known places in Qatar, or lesser-explored activities, to gain prominence and boost the country’s long-term tourism objectives.
As the World Cup draws nearer, travel and tour startups have a series of activities lined up for fans to enrich their tournament experience, with accommodation for the World Cup spread across hotels, tents, cruise ships, villas, apartments and holiday homes, while fan zones have been earmarked for various locations.
Mohanad Rwaished
“For us, the whole idea of the World Cup is for people to experience Qatar like never before,” Mohanad Rwaished, Marketing Manager, Outing Qatar, a luxury tourism agency, told The Peninsula.
“Fans can experience Qatar through the ocean, unique helicopter tours, and luxury cars, all in comfort and ease of access. We are going to be people’s escape. They can see everything they want but with an even better view. We do desert safaris. We’ll be able to do up to 100 people events in the desert. For us, it’s the sun, sky, sea and sand. So the elements in the country are what we use.”
Mosaad Eleiwa
Mosaad Eleiwa, CEO of Outing Qatar, also disclosed that besides the yacht, helicopter and stadium tours are also attractive draws.
Boats usually cruise to Al Saifiya, Aaliya and Banana Islands, and people can watch the World Cup matches on the boats with culinary experience that comes with a chef on standby and whatever service they need.
Helicopter tours can accommodate up to four people for rides that last for around 35 to 40 minutes. It covers the main landscape of Doha, extending from Doha International Airport, heading to Msheireb, Souq Waqif, Corniche and some of the World Cup stadiums.
Leveraging the World Cup, like many other Qatar-based tourism company, the young agency, has seen positive growth in business with a focus on Qatar-inspired tourism. According to Mohanad, the World Cup is a catalyst for Qatar’s tourism to bloom beyond 2022 but for coming years, especially with several major sporting, cultural and business events lined up post-Qatar 2022.
“We’re looking at the local market, citizens and residents. We already know we have a system built for the people in Qatar. Now we’re entirely focused on visitors as well.
“The World Cup is just the start. It will push Qatar to a different level because so many people will see it. Once these people see it, I guarantee that a lot of them will revisit. They will tell their family and friends about Qatar and their experience here. So for us as a tourism company, we’re not even worried about the World Cup as much as we are looking forward to 2023, where we need to start upping our level because we expect the tourism market to explode even more,” Mohanad added.
