Qatar witnessed growth in the arrival of visitors which has boosted the tourism sector. As many as 150,997 visitors arrived in September 2022, compared to 66,817 in the same month last year showing a rise of 126 percent according to the latest report released by the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA).
Visitors from GCC countries contributed significantly to the strong growth in tourist arrivals in Qatar in September. In visitor arrivals by region, GCC countries make up 45 percent of the total arrivals as the number of visitors stood at 67,315 in September 2022, against 21,900 in the same month last year, showing a surge of 207.4 percent.
Travellers from other Arab countries represented 7 percent of the total visitor arrivals as 10,959 visitors came to Qatar from this region in September 2022 compared to 4537 in September 2021, recording a rise of 141.6 percent on a year-on-year basis and 77 percent on a monthly basis.
Of the total arrivals, 91,955 came to Qatar by flights; 57,735 via land; while 1,307 visitors came via sea. Of the total visitors, 22 percent were from Asian countries. According to the report, 33,532 visitors came from Asia (including Oceania) in September this year, compared to 29,203 in the same month last year, a rise of 14.8 percent.
Qatar Tourism recently announced that Qatar received highest number in past five years of tourists in single month in September.
Arrivals from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, led by Saudi Arabia accounted for nearly 30 percent of total figures. Qatar’s active calendar has seen the country’s tourism sector mark a strong recovery this year, with more than 1.1 million travelers preferring Qatar as their destination of choice so far this year, up from 611,000 in 2021.
The visitors from other African countries stood at 3,436 in September 2022 compared to 401 in same period in 2021 and 2,354 in last month of this year registering an increase of 756.9 percent and 46 percent respectively. While the European visitors totalled 25,051 in September 2022 and travellers from this region accounted for 17 percent of the total. Visitors from the Americas stood at 10,704 in September this year compared to 2452 in same period last year according to PSA data.
Visitor numbers to Qatar continue to recover in 2022 following the impact of COVID-19 on the tourism sector. Estimates of more than 1 million people arriving in Qatar during the FIFA World Cup will ensure that tourist numbers reach unprecedented levels and ensure a boost to annual occupancy and hotel revenues for the year.
A recent report by the World Travel and Tourism Council stated that travel and tourism generated QR 67bn in 2021, which represented 10.3 percent of the nation’s GDP.
The FIFA World Cup tournament will provide Qatar with an unprecedented opportunity to drive tourism revenues and promote Qatar’s tourism sector. We expect tourism from global markets to grow significantly in the next five years, while the return of the Saudi market will also boost tourist arrivals. Robust growth in tourism numbers will be required in the coming years to support occupancy rates and revenues as supply continues to grow. By the end of August, Saudi Arabia represented the largest source market for tourists to Qatar (294k), surpassing India, Cushman and Wakefield, an international real estate consultancy said.
