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Qatar is one of the fastest- growing economies and most credible investment markets in the Mena region. The country’s economic policies have provided support for various sectors and bolstered their contribution to economic growth, thus strengthening and enhancing investor confidence in the national economy.
Speaking to The Peninsula, Farhan Al Sheikh Al Sayed, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist and the President of the Walking Football Federation, Asia and Qatar said, “A large number of investors are showing interest in investing in Qatar not only because it is an important player in LNG market, but it is also a peacemaker around the world. Thanks to His Highness’ wise leadership which has created a strong platform for investments in Qatar and helped to create a strong base within the GCC and Mena.”
Qatar has been keen on developing a promising investment environment in priority sectors of the national economy, supported by an administrative and legislative system conducive to doing business and an appropriate legislative framework for business development and investments.
Citing the ‘FDI Standouts Watchlist 2023’, Al Sayed explained that Qatar has been chosen as the best investment zone in regard to foreign direct investments (FDI) and is first among the world’s top destinations for FDI owing to its strong economic and investment momentum into 2023. “Qatar is one of the fastest growing economies and one of the most credible investment markets in the Mena region,” he added.
According to fDi intelligence report recently, Qatar ranks first among the world’s top 50 FDI destinations and is also expected to carry the strongest investment momentum into 2023. In 2022, the top sectors for FDI projects were Oil and Gas, financial services, and software and IT services.
Farhan Al Sheikh Al Sayed, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
The country has achieved a 70 percent annual growth in FDI projects between 2019 and 2022, and its economy is expected to grow by 2.4 percent in 2023, while inflation is expected not to exceed 3.3 percent.
Al Sayed further explained that local production and investment have grown during the pandemic and Qatar was fully prepared in every sector, especially the transportation and the stadium infrastructure was so successful which made the World Cup organisation easy and Qatar’s partnership with FIFA also earned accolades for successfully hosting the event.
Elaborating about the recently concluded FIFA World Cup 2022, Al Sayed noted that Doha has become a sports capital following its success in the World Cup and by hosting a range of international sports events. The world set its eyes on Qatar as it hosted the biggest sporting event in history, drawing record crowds and state-of-the-art stadiums equipped with modern technology.
“The successful hosting of the World Cup has proved the country’s credibility in hosting one of the largest sporting events in the world. It has got many positive vibes and outcomes and the popularity grew not just in Qatar but also in the Arab world, all over Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe," he said.
“All negativities which lingered with irresponsible journalism around the world was proven wrong with the successful hosting of the World Cup in Qatar as the country became popular among the fans who watched the matches and had great response. The negative media that was minority was proven wrong,” he added.
He reiterated that Qatar is the most preferable sporting destination and it has earned itself the status of sports capital of not only Asia but the world.
As the first-ever Middle Eastern nation to host the FIFA World Cup, Qatar witnessed over 1.4 million fans who came from across the globe to cheer for their favorite teams and to visit the most cultural landscapes across the country.
According to Qatar Tourism (QT), the country had welcomed over 600,000 visitors from around the world in November, which coincided the last 10 days of the tournament kicking off. QT pointed out that the visitors from Saudi Arabia led the latest tourism figures (16 percent of total international arrivals), followed by India (8 percent), USA (7 percent), UK (6 percent) and Mexico (5 percent). Argentina, Egypt, Iran, France and Kuwait make up the top 10 source countries for all inbound international visitors since the World Cup kicking off.
