Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s hospitality sector witnessed growth as it saw an increase in occupancy rates as there was rise in visitors and guests. Among the hotels, two and one-star hotels recorded the highest occupancy rate in May this year according to the Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA)
data.
The two-and one-star hotels recorded the maximum occupancy rate in May 2023 seeing a rise of 92 percent. The hotel and hotel apartments in Qatar saw overall occupancy rate being at 55 percent in May 2023. Among the hotels, three-star hotels occupancy rate reached 75 percent.
According to the report, the occupancy rate of four-star hotels stood at 53 percent in May 2023. Similarly, in the case of five star, the hotel occupancy rates were at 51 percent in the review period. The occupancy rates of deluxe hotel apartments and standard hotel apartments for May this year stood at 56 percent and 71 percent respectively.
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 the hotel industry measure the overall success of their hotel. Revenue per available room for five-star hotels increased to QR299 in May 2023 while it rose to QR121 in four-star hotels; QR130 in three star; and QR138 in two and one star hotels.
The average room rate for deluxe and standard hotel apartments rose to QR325 and QR325 respectively in May this year. While the average room rate for five star hotel showed an increase of QR585 and in case of four star hotel it rose to QR227. The overall hotel and hotel apartment average room rate was QR401 in May 2023.
Qatar Tourism recently noted that to date, Qatar has welcomed more than two million international visitors, with the months of May and June registering the highest figure (567,000) ever recorded for these two months in the last ten years. International arrivals in 2023 have so far doubled compared to the levels seen pre-pandemic (1,053,000 in 2019).
The sharp uptake in figures can be attributed to the launch of Qatar Tourism’s ‘Feel More in Qatar’ campaign, which was promoted across key markets, along with the steady calendar of world-class events that have been staged throughout the country since the start of the year and which have maintained the energetic atmosphere from last year’s FIFA World Cup tournament. Furthermore, the extension of Hayya for existing card holders and the re-launch of the Hayya platform has enabled visitors who require a visa an easy and seamless entry process into Qatar.
Qatar witnessed growth in the arrival of visitors as over 285,000 visitors arrived in May 2023 showing a surge of 72 percent on an annual basis, according to the latest report released by the Planning and Statistics Authority.
Visitors from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries contributed significantly to the strong growth in tourist arrivals in May as GCC countries make up 37 percent of the total arrivals.
The Expo 2023 Doha Qatar, Formula 1-Qatar Grand Prix, The Geneva International Motor Show and the Institute of Travel and Tourism (ITT) conference are some of the events lined up for 2023 through which the tourism industry anticipates a large number of visitors to the country during the year.
The events lined up for the year ensure the nation’s tourism strategy is on track to attract more than six million visitors to the country by 2030, make Qatar a leading regional and global tourist destination and raise the sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) to 12 percent by
2030.
