Hotels in Qatar registered solid growth in occupancy rates and revenues in October 2022 as the country saw an increase in visitors and guests. The hospitality sector in the country is witnessing a surge in demand fueled by the ongoing FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The two-and one-star hotels recorded the highest occupancy rate in October this year as it rose to 92 percent, according to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA) data released, yesterday. The hotel and hotel apartments in Qatar witnessed a robust performance with the overall occupancy rate being at 56 percent in October 2022. Among the hotels, three-star hotels occupancy rate reached 69 percent in October 2022.
The local hospitality sector has benefitted immensely from the mega sporting event, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Hotels across the country witnessed increase in their occupancy rates and a major share of the fans was from neighbouring countries.
According to the report, the occupancy rate of four-star hotels stood at 54 percent in October 2022. Similarly, in case of five star, the hotels’ occupancy rates stood at 55 percent in the review period. The occupancy rates of deluxe hotel apartments and standard hotel apartments for October this year stood at 53 percent and 66 percent respectively.
Visitors to Qatar exceeded pre-pandemic levels in October. Qatar Tourism (QT) data revealed that a suite of events, new launches and impending football fever drove visitor numbers during the month to nearly 180,000, marking a six year high. Over the first half of the year, Qatar witnessed a 19 percent increase in the number of international arrivals compared to full year 2021 and is expecting an even stronger second half.
Hotels in Qatar also recorded a rise in revenue per available room which is used to assess a hotel’s ability to fill its available rooms at an average rate. It is important because it helps hotel industry measure the overall success of their hotel. Revenue per available room for five-star hotels increased to QR330 in October 2022 while it rose to QR159 in four-star hotels; QR140 in three star; and QR152 in two and one star hotels.
The average room rate for deluxe and standard hotel apartments rose to QR389 and QR209 respectively in October this year. While the average room rate for five star hotel showed an increase of QR604 and in case of four star hotel it rose to QR295. The overall hotel and hotel apartment average room rate was QR455 in October 2022 against QR436 in last year.
Throughout 2022, visitors have steadily increased month on month, and the latest October figures exceeded pre-pandemic numbers by nearly a third (32 percent more than October 2017).
Recently, Qatar Tourism revealed the opening of more than 20 hotels, resorts, and new tourist destinations in the country ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, stressing that these projects and tourist attractions will be ready to receive fans in the tournament, which kicked off on November 20 and continues until December 18.
The year 2022 represents an unprecedented year in the process of development witnessed by Qatar, its transformation into a global tourist destination, and its aspiration to increase the number of its visitors to six million visitors annually by 2030.
New attractions include entertainment venues, seaside and beach clubs, arts and culture houses, shopping malls, and the new Qatar 2022 hotels and resorts. The entertainment venues include many tourist sites, such as Al Maha Island, Lusail Winter Wonderland, Lusail Boulevard, Qetaifan Island North, Corinthia Yacht Club, and West Walk. These sites accommodate restaurants, brands, and other recreational activities.
The new Qatar 2022 hotels and resorts include: Fuwairit Kite Beach, The St. Regis Marsa Arabia Island, Rixos Gulf Hotel Doha, The Outpost Al Barari, Rixos Qetaifan Island North Doha, Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay, Waldorf Astoria Doha Lusail, The Ned Doha, The Chedi Katara Hotel & Resort, Raffles Doha and Fairmont Doha, Rosewood Doha, Katara Hills LXR Hotels, and DoubleTree by Hilton Doha Downtown.
