Doha, Qatar: Hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 continues to positively impact on several sectors of the country, including sports, tourism and events industry said Secretary General at Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Hassan Al Thawadi yesterday.
He also said that Qatar’s host status being confirmed for the upcoming three editions of FIFA Arab Cup tournament in 2025, 2029 and 2033 indicates the continuity of attracting more visitors and events to the country.
Al Thawadi speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum a session on “After the World Cup: Sport, Media and Entertainment in the Arab World” discussed how the 2022 FIFA World Cup - the landmark moment for the Gulf impact the country and region.
Al Thawadi empahsised on that the country has been successful to attract more sports events and it impact on other sectors especially tourism.
“We just recently hosted the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 also saw record numbers in terms of attendance, and nature of the fans,” said Al Thawadi.
“When the fans came, it marked a celebratory event, one that felt distinctly ours. It was the Asian continent coming together and celebrating the event. This aspect represents a slight shift from previous confederation events. It makes it much more celebratory and much more kind of tangible. So we’re focusing a lot more on these events,” he added.
Al Thawadi also highlighted how Qatar has succeeded in hosting events beyond sport tournaments by implementing the “operational knowledge” gained during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. “Today, we’re considering expanding beyond major sporting events and exploring how to develop the sports industry to support tourism by attracting visitors from other regions. Simultaneously, we’re also focusing on leveraging the operational knowledge and expertise gained from events like the World Cup. We’re witnessing the benefits of this approach in action, evident in the heightened demand and interest from the region for events like the one we’re discussing. This surge represents just one example of the exponential growth we’re experiencing,” said Al Thawadi.
Shifting focus to the entertainment industry in the Middle East and Arab region, Al Thawadi said that significant changes are happening in areas of content creation and film series.
