Doha: Travel agencies in Doha are seeing an increase in the number of visitor arrivals to Qatar, particularly football fans who are watching their national teams compete in the on-going FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021.
A number of visitors are also coming from outside the region just to see the stadiums that will host the FIFA World Cup next year, according to travel companies.
General Manager of Milano Travel Ali Thabet
Speaking to The Peninsula, General Manager of Milano Travel Ali Thabet said the company is currently seeing a 20 percent increase in its bookings to Qatar compared to the first six months of the year. Majority of the visitors booked by the company recently were football fans from Saudi Arabia, Oman, other neighbouring countries, as well as football fans from as far as Russia and China, he added.
“This is the first time that we’re having a FIFA Arab Cup in the region. We’re definitely seeing Arab fans supporting their teams. We started receiving more bookings to Qatar just three or four days before the opening of the games. Some people have also come from outside the region just to see the stadiums, and to see Qatar before the World Cup next year,” said Thabet.
He added: “Most of the bookings we received were from Saudi Arabia and Oman. We also received some bookings from Jordan as well, very few from Egypt, and some inquiries too from Morocco. We also received inquiries and booking requests from outside the region, from countries like Uzbekistan, Russia, and China. Most of them are interested to see the stadiums and how they will be catering to the World Cup next year. As early as now, I also get calls from the US regarding inquiries on how to book tickets for FIFA World Cup next year”.
Manager of Almuftah Travel & Tours Khalid Lakmoush
Manager of Almuftah Travel & Tours Khalid Lakmoush also told The Peninsula that the company is currently seeing a 40 percent increase in its inbound travellers to Qatar compared to just three months ago, and added that while the purpose for the recent visitor arrivals were mixed, majority of the visits were due to the Arab Cup.
“Many of the visitors have also booked in several five-star and four-star hotels in Doha. We started receiving more bookings to Qatar 14 to 19 days back. It was a very short notice actually before the Arab Cup. Most of the visitors we booked were from Lebanon and Kuwait. We also have some bookings from Oman, Jordan, and Iraq as well, and very few from other neighbouring Gulf countries,” he added.
According to Lakmoush, the company expects to receive more bookings for the Arab Cup, and added: “Many of them are coming for an average of 7 to 10 nights in Qatar. We also received some bookings from Iraq who are staying in Qatar for 10 days and 10 nights. Others are coming to watch their national teams’ matches only.
While others are coming for the semi-finals and finals. But that may also change, because they might also go with their relatives or friends to spend more time touring around Doha”.
Thabet also reiterated that football fans currently visiting Doha also have several other options to enjoy their stay in Qatar, aside from watching the games.
“Right now, Qatar is very well known all over the world for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2021. And the FIFA Arab Cup is a pre-cursor to that. Qatar Airways has also recently launched unique travel packages that allow football fans to attend the Arab Cup matches, while enjoying the famous Qatari hospitality,” he added.
However, travel operators also remain watchful over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. According to Lakmoush, the new Omicron variant challenges the travel industry, which was already rebounding from the two-year long devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Changes in travel restrictions and hotel quarantines make some people hesitant to finalise their bookings. The impact will depend on the country the travelers are coming from. Once the travel restrictions are further eased, we will see a further boost in the number of inbound and outbound travels in Qatar,” Lakmoush added.
Thabet said: “The new variant is still under observation. It still does not have a significant impact to the travel industry in Qatar. For the Arab Cup, if the situation remains like this, and the issue with the Omicron variant does not get worse, we expect the number of visitors to increase and more people will be able to enjoy the games”.
