tourism qatar world cup

World Cup 2022: What to do, see and eat in Qatar

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

It was 115 degrees on the summer day I arrived in Qatar. That answered my first question: Why had FIFA, among the most hidebound and conservative of international sports bodies, agreed to buck nearly a century of tradition by playing the World Cup in the winter?

The second question was a bit more complicated: Why had Qatar, a tiny, conservative, Islamic emirate in the Persian Gulf worked so hard and spent so much to play host to the tournament?

The World Cup kicks off Nov. 20 and over the following 28 days, more than 1.2 million people are expected to flood into a country that is smaller than Connecticut and has a population about equal to Chicago’s. The country and its unfailingly polite people have neither the space nor the patience to deal with more than a million rowdy soccer fans, many of whom know nothing of the country or its culture.

That, however, is the point, said Fatma Al-Nuaimi, executive communications director of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the local World Cup organizing body.

“A lot of people will be coming here and they might have their own perceptions from what they read and what they hear,” she said after a late dinner at an Armenian-Lebanese restaurant in the trendy Katara Cultural Village, a sprawling waterfront collection of shops, restaurants and museums. “When you come here, it’s totally different. You learn about new things, new culture, new traditions. It gives you a different perspective. For a lot of travelers, this is what they would be keen to look for and to explore and to enrich the experience they have outside the stadium.”

But will it be a Faustian bargain? By law and custom, alcohol consumption is tightly controlled in Qatar, homosexuality is prohibited, public displays of affection are a serious faux pas and some labor regulations are just a small step above indentured servitude.

To welcome the world, the country has given in on all those things. And while that was done to appease international critics, it hasn’t played well at home.

Then there’s the organization.

The final test event in September, a soccer match that drew 78,000 people, was beset by a series of logistical disasters, from long lines and air conditioning and PA system failures to concession stands selling out of water by halftime. In response, hundreds of civilians, including diplomats summoned back from overseas, have been called up for mandatory military service operating security checkpoints at World Cup stadiums.

But there’s also an upside. Qatar has become one of richest countries in the world thanks to large deposits of oil and natural gas, resources the government knows are nonrenewable. So it has already begun the long and laborious task of diversifying the economy.

Two years before the controversial vote that awarded the World Cup to Qatar, the country launched National Vision 2030, a multipronged plan to invest $200 billion in economic, social, human and environmental development and one designed, in part, to make the desert emirate a global destination for tourism, education and culture.

Qatar also invested heavily in sports tourism, staging more than 600 international events in the last decade, from the world track championships and a Formula 1 Grand Prix to international bowling, squash, table tennis and equestrian events. That has hurried along infrastructure spending on highway and light-rail construction and expansion of Hamad International Airport.

“These mega-events, there is part of it where it’s actually helping bridge gaps and cultures and bringing people closer together,” Al-Nuaimi said. “There is always a misperception of this part of the world, the Arab world, the Muslim world. Having 1 million fans coming to Qatar from all parts of the world, they will see a different image and having firsthand experience of the country itself.”

The real goal, she said, is to get the world to come sample Qatar, learn about its rich history and culture and hopefully shed prejudices.

But whether Qatar is ready or not, the 32-team tournament will kick off next month and if you’re one of the more than 2.8 million people who have tickets — or if you plan on skipping the madness and visiting the country sometime after the tournament — here’s a guide to help you navigate a most compelling and complicated country.

What you need to get into Qatar

If you don’t have World Cup tickets by now, you’re probably going to have a hard time getting them. More than 90% of the approximately 3 million tickets had been claimed by mid-October, but FIFA is promising to continue selling at FIFA.com/tickets, through the end of the tournament on Dec. 18. Some tickets can also be found on the secondary market, although FIFA is urging fans to stay away from unauthorized websites.

But a ticket won’t be enough to get you into a game — or even the country. For that you’ll also need a digital Hayya fan ID card, which can be applied for at hayya.qatar2022.qa . World Cup visitors will need a valid ticket application number and a Hayya voucher code to book accommodations.

To enter the country under normal circumstances (a.k.a. when there is no World Cup), U.S. citizens need a visa waiver, also known as visa on arrival. You don’t have to apply for that ahead of time as the entire process takes place when you arrive in Qatar. You will need a valid passport, good for at least six months, confirmation of a return ticket and a debit or credit card to pay the $28 fee for a tourist visa. The visa is valid for 30 days and can be extended.

Starting Nov. 1, you will not need to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a negative PCR test to enter the country.

Here’s a tip for those traveling to Qatar on Qatar Airways: The airline offers something called Al Maha Services. For an additional fee, a dedicated airline employee will guide travelers through expedited immigration and customs formalities both on arrival and at departure. That can be a lifesaver, especially after the nearly 17-hour flight from Los Angeles.

Where to stay

Despite a massive construction boom during the 12-year run-up to the World Cup, Qatar has just more than 40,000 hotel rooms, far short of the inventory needed for an event like the World Cup. So the country has come up with a number of novel options that include housing visitors in fan villages and Bedouin-style desert tents. There are also apartments and villas with one to six bedrooms at prices ranging from $84 to $875 a night, and 4,000 staterooms on two cruise ships anchored in Doha Bay.

More than a half-a-dozen airlines have added 160 short daily shuttle flights from Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Muscat and Riyadh, allowing fans to stay in neighboring countries and fly into Doha before and after games.

If all that sounds like too much of a hassle, or if you really don’t like soccer, visiting Qatar after the World Cup is a breeze.

What to do and see in Qatar besides the World Cup

Sampling Qatar means sampling its history, and Qataris are only too happy to share. My favorite haunt, a place I couldn’t spend enough time in, was the Souq Waqif, the city’s ancient marketplace.

A maze of narrow alleyways linked to a wide main plaza, the Souq long served as a trading post for Bedouin arriving by camel and travelers in small boats. Its merchants still gather every day, as they have for centuries, dressed in the traditional long white thobe and a loose headdress called a gutra , drinking strong Qatari coffee and arguing about the day’s news while selling traditional garments, jewels, spices, handicrafts and souvenirs.

The Souq, now easily accessible on the metro’s gold line, is also home to an array of dining options featuring food from Thailand, Turkey, India, Iran, Italy, Lebanon, Latin America, Morocco and Syria and elsewhere.

On one edge of the marketplace is the Falcon Souq — the word “ souq ” translates as marketplace — where you can view, photograph and even hold the birds, which have a revered place in Qatari culture. Nearby is a state-of-the-art falcon hospital and just beyond that is a camel pen, home to dozens of animals.

If the Souq Waqif is a real-life history lesson, in recent years Qatar has also built several world-class museums to teach the country’s culture and heritage in a more formal way.

The National Museum of Qatar, which opened in 2019, is worth a visit just for the stunning work of architect Jean Nouvel, whose design was inspired by the desert rose. Inside, the museum tells Qatar’s story in a milelong journey through a series of galleries that provide multisensory experiences from multiple perspectives.

Equally impressive is the nearby Museum of Islamic Art, another architectural wonder by I.M. Pei, who was coaxed out of retirement at 91 to design the building. Constructed on an island off an artificial peninsula, the museum sits at the end of the Corniche, Doha’s scenic bayside promenade, and is accessible by two small bridges.

The 480,000-square-foot museum, which reopened in early October after an 18-month renovation, houses more than 14 centuries of Islamic art from three continents, including metal work, ceramics, jewelry, textile and glass, as well as a priceless Quranic manuscript.

A more unique experience can be had at the Msheireb Museums, four historic heritage houses in the old part of the capital dedicated to the cultural and social development of Qatar. Of the four the Bin Jelmood House, which focuses on the history of slavery in the Arab Gulf, a practice that wasn’t outlawed in Qatar until 1952, is a must-see.

Inside, a projector beams a passage from an 1864 letter written by Abraham Lincoln: “If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong.” The exhibitions are particularly timely since much of Qatar’s World Cup infrastructure was built by migrant workers employed under the kafala system, an exploitative and barely-legal form of indentured servitude that, in many ways, replaced slavery. International criticism ahead of the World Cup led to reform of the kafala system and a new minimum-wage structure, though abuses remain widespread.

Another unique gem is the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum housed in Khalifa International Stadium, site of eight World Cup matches. At more than 200,000 square feet, the museum, which opened in March, is one of the largest in the world dedicated to sports. Among the items in the collection are a soccer ball from England’s 1888 FA Cup final, the bobsled used by the Jamaican team in the 1988 Winter Games, a baseball bat from Babe Ruth, boxing glove from Manny Pacquiaoand a Steffi Graf tennis racquet.

And while the focus of the interactive exhibits and artifacts is on global sport, the museum includes sections on such traditional Qatari favorites as falconry, pearl diving and camel racing .

Speaking of history, before the discovery of oil and natural gas Qatar’s economy was built around pearls. In the latter half of the 19th century, nearly half the population was involved in the pearl trade, with divers sailing dhow boats into the warm gulf waters and descending as deep as 130 feet to harvest clams for the treasure they hid inside.

That’s gone now but the old dhow harbor remains. Bay cruises in the long, thin-hulled boats with Doha’s futuristic skyline as a backdrop are a good way to mix the past and present.

Part of that modern skyline is the Pearl, a small man-made island divided into 12 districts of residential towers, hotels, luxury-brand shops from Maserati and Rolls-Royce showrooms to trendy restaurants and cafes offering everything from South American and Lebanese cuisine to confectioneries.

Between the Pearl and the towering office buildings of the West Bay is the Katara Cultural Village, home to restaurants, art galleries and cultural organizations as well as an open-air amphitheater , an opera house, a multipurpose cinema, a multipurpose conference hall and a beach.

Want to live the history of Qatar? Well, time recedes quickly when you leave the city for the desert. Consider a half-day sunset safari, camel rides, sandboarding or a tour of the inland sea, a Persian Gulf inlet at the border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

During the World Cup, more than 90 special events including music festivals, cultural displays and street performances will also take place.

Where to eat

Qatari cuisine is mix of traditional Arab food. Machboos, the national dish, consists of rice and vegetables and either lamb or chicken. Seafood and dates are also staples. But given the ethnic makeup — more than 2.5 million of the country’s 2.9 million residents are not Qatari citizens — the country has become a gastronomic melting pot featuring world-class offerings from dozens of countries.

As mentioned earlier, the Souq Waqif has a wide array of options served in a comfortable but traditional (read: budget-conscious) style. I’d recommend starting there since even the most finicky palates will find something to their tastes.

The Katara Cultural Village is another reasonably priced food court worth roaming, with cafes, chocolatiers, sandwich and fast-food places serving Greek, Italian, Egyptian, Mexican dishes and more, as well as upscale restaurants offering Palestinian, Western European, Italian and Asian food.

My favorite place was Mamig, a home-style restaurant — the name means grandmother in Armenian — serving a deep menu of Armenian and Lebanese offerings.

Many of Doha’s pricier restaurants are located in hotels, beginning with the Saffron, which offers both delectable Thai food and a breathtaking view from the top floor of the 31-story Banyan Tree hotel in Mushaireb, the heart of the old city.

The Spice Market in the Doha Hotel and Residences in the West Bay serves Southeast Asian-inspired fare from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Also in the West Bay, Hakkasan, a Michelin-starred brand with locations worldwide, serves Chinese food in a uniquely designed dining room or on the terrace.

Nobu, the Japanese restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel on the Corniche, offers a unique experience beginning with your entrance up a floating driveway, over a bridge crossing a reflecting pool and into a three-story building designed by David Rockwell. The most popular dishes are black cod yuzu miso and wagyu beef tacos.

In the trendy Pearl District, Toro Toro serves authentic Latin American dishes from chef Richard Sandoval before a stunning view of the bay. Sandoval has another place in the West Bay called Zengo that serves Asian fare, including sushi, sashimi and curry on the 61st floor of the Kempinski Residences & Suites.

Where to drink

Qatar is a Muslim country where Sharia law holds sway, so alcohol consumption is tightly controlled and it cannot be purchased in stores.

Licensed hotel bars and restaurants are the only places allowed to sell alcohol, but not all of them do. It’s not available in the Souq Waqif, for example, and of the restaurants listed above, Mamig does not serve alcohol. Call ahead or check a restaurant’s policy before making reservations — and if you do find a place that serves alcohol, be prepared to pay $15 or more for a simple beer unless you take advantage of happy hour, which most bars and restaurants offer.

Local laws have been eased somewhat for the World Cup, with organizers allowing beer consumption at the Arcadia Electronic Music Festival, a fan fest about two miles outside Doha, will feature three performance stages and beer will be served there between 10 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Beer is also available at the official FIFA fan festival at Doha’s Al Bidda Park and to ticket-holders at select areas inside the perimeters of World Cup stadiums prior to kickoff and after the final whistle. Only nonalcoholic beverages will be served inside the stadiums themselves.

Keep in mind there is zero tolerance for drinking in public outside these areas and being drunk in public is a crime in Qatar.

Need more information? The Qatar 2022 Contact Center offers 24/7 support in eight languages.

Additionally, from Nov. 1 to Dec. 25, there will be a Consular Services Center at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center which will provide direct access to embassy staff from the 32 qualified countries and countries with the highest number of ticket sales. The center will operate daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

More to Read

U.S. to open 2026 World Cup play at SoFi Stadium

Feb. 4, 2024

Why SoFi might be odd stadium out for 2026 World Cup final

Feb. 3, 2024

World Cup hosting battle between Stan Kroenke and FIFA goes way beyond field size

Oct. 31, 2023

Sign up for The Wild

We’ll help you find the best places to hike, bike and run, as well as the perfect silent spots for meditation and yoga.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Kevin Baxter writes about soccer and other things for the Los Angeles Times, where he has worked for 27 years. He has covered seven World Cups, four Olympic Games, six World Series and a Super Bowl and has contributed to three Pulitzer Prize-winning series at The Times and Miami Herald. An essay he wrote in fifth grade was voted best in the class. He has a cool dog.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Travel & Experiences

How to have the best Sunday in L.A., according to Tia Mowry

April 12, 2024

Live DJ sets! Freebies! Exclusive drops! 12 L.A. shops going big for Record Store Day

Disneyland touts a lifetime ban for disability cheats. That’s not what’s worrying some park-goers

April 11, 2024

This L.A. escape room explores corporate greed — and shows how corruptible you really are

April 10, 2024

Guide to Qatar: Cities, stadiums, attractions and activities

• Quality Automatic Automatic HD
• Speed Normal
• Subtitle Options
• Font family Default
• Font color Default
• Font opacity Default
• Font size Default
• Background color Default
• Background opacity Default
• Window color Default
• Window opacity Default
• Character edge style Default
• Monospaced Serif
• Proportional Serif
• Monospaced Sans-Serif
• Proportional Sans-Serif
• Drop Shadow
• , selected descriptions off

This is a modal window.

• Powered by THEOplayer 2023.3.0

With futuristic cities, desert adventures and endless shopping opportunities, Qatar has something for everyone

From sightseeing trips and nature tours that cover all aspects of local life to unlimited shopping opportunities, Qatar offers visitors a wide variety of activities, with something for everyone.

The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will undoubtedly afford football fans everywhere the chance to enjoy a unique experience in this Gulf country.

Here are five things fans can expect when visiting Qatar during the World Cup.

Generosity and hospitality Generosity and hospitality

Bedouins are known for their hospitality and traditionally sharing their food with their guests. This culture is still deep rooted in Qatari society and permeates all aspects of life in Qatar. Offering Arabic coffee and sweets to guests remains an expression of hospitality. Qatari cuisine is rich and unique, with its dishes influenced over the years by the gastronomical delights of the Indian Subcontinent, Iran, the Levant and North Africa.

Resorts and beaches Resorts and beaches

Qatar has many wonderful resorts where people can relax and escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. These include the Sealine Beach Resort, one of the finest coastal strips near the capital. Visitors can also spend time at the Al Ghariya Resort on the seafront, where there are many walk areas like the Doha Corniche, a waterfront promenade extending for several kilometres along Doha Bay in Qatar’s capital.

Islands and water sports Islands and water sports

Given its geographic location, rich marine life, and crystal-clear waters, Qatar is an ideal destination for water sport lovers, who can enjoy fishing trips, rowing boats, water skiing, kitesurfing, paragliding, and scuba diving among shipwrecks or coral reefs. Qatar also has a number of unique islands like Palm Island, the artificial Pearl Island, and the Zekreet peninsula, which boasts picturesque beaches and natural rock formations.

Historical sites and castles Historical sites and castles

Lovers of archaeology and antiquity can see many historical sites telling the story of Qatar’s distant past, such as the UNESCO world heritage site Al Zubarah and its unique fort. There is also the Museum of Islamic Art, Katara Cultural Village, and Souq Waqif, all among Qatar’s most popular tourist attractions. The country is also home to several ancient forts that were used as military or civilian installations, such as the Doha Fort, Barzan Towers and Umm Salal Fort.

Desert adventures and dune challenges Desert adventures and dune challenges

In addition to the spectacular beaches and islands, Qatar also has some beautiful desert and rocky terrain. Visitors can enjoy desert safari trips, ride camels and camp under the stars in a Bedouin tent, or perhaps visit Khor Al Udayd, which features sand dunes in stunning formations and has been dubbed ‘the Inland Sea’. There is also Al Jassasiya, a magnificent area of rock carvings, where visitors can see examples of pre-historic sculptures.

The World Cup 2022 and Qatar’s Mass Tourism Challenge: A Sustainable Future?

The State of Qatar is currently planning for the FIFA 2022 World Cup as a mass tourism sports event. But after the fans have departed, what lies ahead for Qatar’s nascent tourism industry? Historically, sports mega-events have not always provided net economic benefits for cities or nations, as argued by economist Andrew Zimbalist in his Circus Maximus: The Economic Gamble Behind Hosting the Olympics and the World Cup (Brookings Press, 2015). As cautionary tales, he points to the disastrous 1976 Montréal, Quebec Olympics (leaving the city in debt for 30 years), the cost overruns of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, and the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

Even though Qatar’s tourism landscape has been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic —which caused a 73% drop in total visitor arrivals from 2019–2020, with only 500 people entering the country in April 2020—the 2022 World Cup has already provided several tangible benefits to Qatar: increased international visibility (resulting in more regional soft power), and firm target dates for much needed basic infrastructural improvements such as roads, water systems, and transport. Additionally, an unintended positive effect of hosting the tournament was a modest improvement in labor conditions in Qatar after rights groups such as Amnesty International turned their microscopes onto the abuses of the kafala system.

Tourism as a diversification strategy forms a modest part of Qatar’s “ Second National Development Strategy 2018–2022 .” As is well known, Qatar’s GDP continues to be dominated by hydrocarbon exports that are impacted by market forces, resulting in the revenue volatility known as the “ resource curse ” or “Dutch disease.” Diversification and development of a knowledge-based economy that diminishes the role of oil and gas exports have been the two key pillars of economic planning in Qatar for over two decades.

An intermediate national target of the “ NDS 2018–2022 ” was to create “a more competitive, productive and diversified economy and a more dynamic private sector with greater contribution to the national economy,” and to “develop and coordinate priority sectors strategies (manufacturing, professional and scientific activities, logistics, financial services, tourism and ICT).” Many strides in the last decade have been made to create this diversified tourist infrastructure in Qatar, including establishing a museums sector by Qatar Museums, creating Hamad International Airport as a major transport hub, presenting Katara as a cultural space, and designating 120,00 hectares as the Al Reem Biosphere Preserve in 2007. However, Qatar’s post-2014 growth (the first year of steep declines in hydrocarbon prices) has been largely fuelled by the construction industry, a non-sustainable trajectory given the small size of the Gulf nation, and the fact that 10% of the country consists of protected reserve land.

The current Service Excellence strategic plan of Qatar Tourism (QT), the government agency tasked with the development and regulation of the tourism sector, contains not only items directly related to the World Cup (hotel and restaurant hygiene—Qatar Clean, and service worker training), but also items designed for post-tournament sustainability of the industry (enhancing tourist information, operator licensing, and developing national cultural heritage experiences).

The “ Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 ” launched in 2014 proposed that by 2030 tourism would: 1) constitute 5.2% of estimated total contribution to Qatar’s GDP; 2) support 7.9–10.7 million total arrivals to Qatar; and 3) generate employment for 98,000 tourist workers. Confronting this vision, however, are unfortunately several hard (environmental) limits to the number of tourist arrivals that the country can sustain. Qatar, a water scarce desert biome, remains the world’s largest per capita emitter of carbon and largest per capita consumer of fresh water. Tourists greatly exacerbate these anthropogenic environmental stressors. The realities of geography and weather in limiting large-scale tourism in desert regions are well known from case studies of Petra, Jordan, the Negev Desert, and Iran.

As I have argued in my research on desert tourism , “lack of concern for environmentally-friendly tourist behavior becomes acute in mass tourism settings [such as the World Cup], since the primary destination motivation for this consumer segment is low cost, and not necessarily an interest in natural beauty or cultural education. Also, large masses of people increase the amount of environmental stress from simple day-to-day activities—such as walking over vegetation, and they generate large amounts of non-biodegradable waste, for example plastic water bottles in hot environments.” Overtourism is now a well-recognized problem in popular destinations such as Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, Iceland, Venice, and Jordan, not only as a result of physical destruction of built heritage and natural environments, but also due to cultural change from the influx of visitors and the reduction of more stable, traditional economic activities, such as food production, as local workers move into services related to the tourist industry.

Mass tourism events, including the World Cup, have been linked to a variety of ecological and cultural sustainability issues. The World Tourism Organization of the United Nations (UNWTO) has embraced sustainable tourism as one of its core pillars for all international tourist activity, and issued the Sustainable Development of Tourism in Deserts: Guidelines for Decision Makers in 2006. Based on this work, I developed the following mitigation strategies for mass tourism in hyper-arid and arid regions, such as Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, which were published in the Routledge Handbook on Tourism in the Middle East and North Africa (Routledge 2019):

A rational and modest tourist sector development strategy for Qatar is one that does not rely on sports mega-events such as the World Cup—whose economic benefits are doubtful. This is certainly achievable, particularly if that mix includes a larger percentage of business and academic arrivals from the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions (MICE) sector necessary for the further development of Qatar’s knowledge economy and creative industries. MICE events and education and training programs not only generate tourist dollars, they result in real knowledge transfer to local Qatari partners, which in turn produces the local human capacity for Qatar to produce its own knowledge (and income-generating) products such as patents, trademarked processes, copyrighted media, and technical innovation.

An economically, culturally, and environmentally sustainable tourism plan for Qatar might include: 5 million visitors per year, short-stay (3–5 days) tourism, sports tourism on a smaller scale than the World Cup or Olympics, creative and education industries tourism, niche specialty medical tourism (Aspetar sports medicine), and cultural tourism (museums, film, Bedouin homestays). For Qatar, tourism growth strategies based on shopping, economic free zones, luxury condominiums, and artificial islands will have difficulties competing with Dubai’s more mature and better advertised offerings in those areas. Many of the tourism development suggestions above have already been implemented or are in the planning stages. However, the environmental carrying capacity of Qatar must always be taken into consideration, and some of the well-studied negative consequences of overtourism, including cultural erosion, must be acknowledged.

Article by Alan S. Weber, Professor of English at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar.

Alan S. Weber is a multi-disciplinary humanities scholar at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar with over 170 publications in the fields of education, literature, sociology, and the history of science and medicine. He was the lead organizer of the 1st International Conference on the Medical Humanities in the Middle East in 2018. He also chaired the first International Conference on Healthcare Communication the Middle East in 2020, and in 2018 was elected as the Qatar National Representative for the International Association for Communication in Healthcare (EACH). His research on Internet Health websites in the Middle East won first prize in 2015 from the Qatar National Research Fund, and he shared with his WCMQ colleagues the 2017 Outstanding Book Award from the U.S. National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). He has published widely on tourism in the Middle East and GCC.

Read more about the Building a Legacy: Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022 project  here .

The posts and comments on this blog are the views and opinions of the author(s). Posts and comments are the sole responsibility of the author(s). They are not approved or endorsed by the Center for International and Regional Studies (CIRS), Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), or Georgetown University in the United States, and do not represent the views, opinions, or policies of the Center or the University. 

• Car Rentals
• Airport Transfers
• Attractions & Tours
• Bundle & Save
• Destinations
• Trip.com Rewards

FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022: Top 10 tourist attractions you can’t miss in Qatar

When and where is the FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022?

What's new at fifa qatar world cup 2022, new visa rules during the fifa qatar world cup 2022, pre-travel covid-19 tests, pcr/rat tests on arrival for citizens/residents, ehteraz health application, fifa world cup 2022: qatar allows free entry for fans from december 2 😉, latest information of fifa world cup 2022, 👏france, argentina set for 2022 fifa world cup final, 👏quarter-final line-up:, 😍confirmed world cup quarter-final fixtures, 😍semi-final fixtures, what is the world cup group draw, fifa world cup 2022 qatar match schedule, currency import regulations, disabled access, drinking water, electric supply.

• Embassies & Consulates

Healthcare facilities

Internet connectivity, islamic holidays.

• Meet & Greet Services

Official holidays

Public display of affection, telecom service provider, year of culture, top 10 tourist attractions you can’t miss in qatar, 1. museum of islamic art: explore architect i.m. pei’s masterpieces, 2. khor al adaid: a paradise of tranquility and relaxation, 3. al zubarah archaeological site: a gateway to qatar’s past, 4. doha corniche: best place to while away summer heat at nights, 5. the pearl island: a shopping paradise for travelers, 6. souq waqif: a feast for the eyes, 7. national museum of qatar: uncover qatar's unique story, 8. katara cultural village: a hub for art and culture lovers, 9. film city: a hidden gem of qatar, tourist attractions you can't miss during the fifa qatar world cup 2022, our trip choices 😉.

• 😉Read more:

Show More 

Qatar’s burgeoning capital city — Doha has been in the spotlight as the FIFA World Cup 2022 will kick off on November 20, and run until December 18.

As a busy transition hub, Qatar connects many destinations all over the world. Thanks to the convenient transportation, all 8 stadiums built in and around the city of Doha could be easily reached by subways and buses.

The 2022 Qatar World Cup kicks off on November 20 at the Al Bayt Stadium when the hosts take on Ecuador in Group A.

The tournament was originally set to begin a day later with Senegal's game against the Netherlands at Al Thumama Stadium but Qatar's match was moved forward to allow them to open their home tournament.

England will now feature on the second day with their Group B match against Iran scheduled to take place on November 21 with a 1pm UK time kick-off. The game is just eight days after the Premier League shuts down.

After qualifying via the play-offs, Wales' first game will also be on November 21.

Wales will then play England on November 29 in Group B.

The final will be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha a week before Christmas on December 18.

1. It is the first time that the World Cup is held in an Arab country.

2. It is the first time that the World Cup is held in the northern hemisphere winter.

3. It is the first World Cup to bring in female referees and to use semi-automatic offside technology.

FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022: Travel requirements

Many countries across the globe have specific regulations in place for arriving and departing passengers in order to restrain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Visitors could read and check the travel requirements through the official website of Qatar Airway before booking your trip and ensure you have the required documents at the time of travel.

Transit through Doha

Passengers who are transiting through Doha, and not leaving the airport, are not required to present any test results or certifications above the requirements of their departure or destination country.

Before booking your flight with Qatar Airways, it’s recommended that visitors need to check the latest information on country/region travel restrictions as well as visa and passport requirements.

Citizens of over 95 countries are eligible for visa-free entry into Qatar. How long you are allowed to stay will depend on where you're from, so best to check beforehand. Ideally with an authorized entity, because the terms and conditions that apply can be different per country.

New visa rules apply during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 period of November 10 to December 23.

It’s reminded that both local and international fans must apply for a Hayya Card before they make a trip to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

Hayya Card is your entry permit to the State of Qatar and will also be required to access to stadiums. Each guest under your FIFA Ticket Application Number will need to apply for their own Hayya Card and the process is easy.

Qatar entry rules

Visitors are no longer required to bring a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) or Rapid Antigen test certificate before travelling to the State of Qatar.

Citizens and residents of the State of Qatar are no longer required to take a Rapid Antigen test (nor PCR) upon their arrival in the State of Qatar.

Individuals are mandated to present the health status on the Ehteraz mobile application only while entering public and private healthcare facilities in Qatar.

It is mandatory for individuals to present the health status of the Ehteraz application when entering public and private healthcare facilities in Qatar.

The Health Status for citizens, residents, visitors who have received the vaccine outside Qatar will remain green without a golden frame until their vaccine data is updated in the system or through the Overseas Vaccine Portal (www.ehteraz.gov.qa).

The Health Status on the Ehteraz app will remain red throughout the isolation period, until the end of their period of isolation.

Diplomats, administrative card holders and VIP visitors arriving on official state visits are excluded from this measure.

Recently, Qatar has eased COVID restrictions on international visitors travelling during the World Cup and will allow free entry for fans from December 2 when the group stage ends.

Argentina won the FIFA World Cup 2022 final after a penalty shootout that followed a 3-3 draw after extra time on December 18 (Sunday).

Lionel Messi scored twice and Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick, but Emiliano Martinez's save from Kingsley Coman's spot-kick in the shootout was decisive with Aurelien Tchouameni also firing wide for the defending champions.

🤞Argentina airline adds 2 more flights for 2022 FIFA World Cup final

Argentina’s national carrier scheduled two extra flights from Buenos Aires to Qatar to take football fans to the 2022 World Cup final.

Both Aerolíneas Argentinas flights sold out quickly. The first one leaves from Argentina’s capital on Friday morning, and tickets for that flight were gone within a half-hour of the national team’s 3-0 victory over Croatia in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Tickets for the second flight, which leaves Friday night, went on sale early Wednesday and were sold out within a couple of hours, the airline said in a statement.

The airline sold 540 roundtrip tickets for the two flights, with each one costing around 2 million pesos (more than $11,000). Aerolíneas Argentinas has offered a total of 12 flights for the World Cup.

Time: Friday December 9

Croatia vs Brazil - Kick-off 3pm

Netherlands vs Argentina - Kick-off 7pm

Time: Saturday December 10

Morocco vs Portugal - Kick-off 3pm

England vs France - Kick-off 7pm

Time: Tuesday December 13

Netherlands or Argentina vs Croatia or Brazil - Kick-off 7pm

Time: Wednesday December 14

England or France vs Morocco or Portugal - Kick-off 7pm

The FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup begins with 32 teams in eight groups of four:

The group phase played from November 20 to December 2. The knockout phase will run from December 3-18 .

Travel tips in Qatar

Qatar is a destination that offers novel, authentic experiences. Here are some tips that will help better navigate the local culture and fully enjoy your time in Qatar.

Attitudes towards dress in Qatar are relaxed, but visitors (men as well as women) are expected to show respect for local culture by avoiding excessively revealing clothing in public. It is generally recommended for men and women to ensure their shoulders and knees are covered.

This is widely expected at Souq Waqif and other traditional markets.

The Qatari riyal is the only currency used in the country and can be obtained through ATMs which are widely available in malls, hotels and around Doha. The Qatari Riyal (QR) is pegged against the US Dollar at QAR 3.64.

When bringing local currency (Qatar Riyal-QAR) and all other foreign currencies amounts equal to or higher than QAR 50,000 must be declared on arrival. This includes jewelry, precious metals or stones valued at QAR 50,000 or higher.

The Accessible Qatar smartphone app provides information about accessibility and facilities at different public and touristic venues across the country.

Ooredoo Qatar has partnered with Wheel the World to offer accessible tourist experiences to differently abled visitors.

In case of emergency, following specialised services are accessible for the deaf:

Call 992 using the 3G camera on your computer or cell phone;

Send an SMS to 992 clearly stating your problem and what service you need (ambulance, fire rescue, police), as well as your name, address, and any details;

Send an e-mail to [email protected] (it may take some time before you receive a response)

The World Health Organization estimates that 99% of Qatar has access to drinkable tap water. However, bottled water is widely consumed in Qatar with plenty of local and imported brands widely available.

The standard voltage is 240 V and the frequency is 50 Hz. Plug points are the same as in the UK. To use electric appliances made for the range of 100 V - 127 V (as is in the US, Canada and most South American countries), one needs a voltage converter or a combined power plug adapter/voltage converter.

Emergency telephone numbers

Police, Fire, Ambulance:

Traffic & Patrol Police Department:

Embassies & Consulates

Doha is home to over 100 foreign embassies and a consulate. These are open for business from Sunday to Thursday and closed on Friday and Saturday, as well as all public holidays of both Qatar and the embassy's home country.

Friday timings

All business and commercial activity shuts down during Friday prayers in the morning (around 10am -12pm). Several shops remain closed on Fridays while malls open in the afternoon on Fridays.

Qatari ladies will not shake hands with men, and many men will not shake a lady’s hand as a gesture of respect.

In case of emergency, visitors can go to Hamad General Hospital’s network of hospitals and healthcare centers for care.

Qatar is the world’s first country to introduce a commercial 5G network. Free WIFI facilities are available at the Hamad International Airport and most public places including shopping malls, restaurants and parks.

Eid Al Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the month-long period of fasting. It is spent with family and friends, with much feasting, and goes on for three days, though shops and private businesses may reopen after one or two days.

The Hajj pilgrimageends with Eid Al Adha, also known as the “feast of sacrifice” and continues for four days.

Home to around a hundred nationalities, Qatar is a melting pot of cultures with numerous languages being spoken. Being an Arab country, the official language is Arabic, but English is commonly spoken at all public places.

Meet & Greet Services

Passengers arriving, departing or transiting through Hamad International Airport can avail Al Maha personalised Meet & Greet Services at Hamad International Airport.

Qatar National Day is celebrated on 18 December. Sports Day is also a national holiday celebrated on the second Tuesday of February each year. In addition to these two holidays the country is closed for three days during Eid al Fitr and Eid al Adha.

As in all Middle Eastern countries, showing overt affection and intimacy in public is frowned upon.

During the Islamic month of Ramadan, visitors are expected to refrain from eating, drinking and smoking in public places during the daylight hours out of respect to those who are fasting. Hotels continue to cater to guests by opening restaurants that are out of the public’s view.

Qatar is a Muslim country and Islam plays an integral role in daily life. Prayers take place five times per day: at dawn (Fajr), around midday (Duhr), in mid-afternoon (A'asr), at sunset (Maghrib) and about two hours after sunset (‘Esha). The exact timing varies each day according to the sun's position.

Qatar has been ranked first in terms of safety and security, according Numbeo Crime Index 2020, the world’s largest database of user contributed data on cities and countries.

Smoking is prohibited in all public spaces including museums, sports clubs, shopping malls and restaurants. Violators can be subject to fines between QAR 1000-3000.

Passengers transiting through Doha can take advantage of Qatar’s unmatched stopover program to explore the destination. The +Qatar program offers great deals at 4- and 5- Star hotels.

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) regulates the telecommunications, information technology, and postal sectors, as well as access to digital media. Ensuring balancing consumers’ rights and telecom Service Providers’ obligations is a top priority for CRA. If you have inquiries or complaints against telecom Service Providers, you can contact us through:

· Hotline 103, or +97444069938 from overseas

· Email: [email protected]

· Complaint Form: https://www.cra.gov.qa/en/Services/Consumers-Complaints

· Social media: @craqatar

· Mobile App: “Arsel” on Google Play and App Store

For more information please visit CRA’s website: www.cra.gov.qa

Most hospitality outlets in Qatar include a service charge in the bill. However, a tip of 10-15% as a gesture of satisfaction is appreciated. It is advisable to carry cash for tipping.

Qatar drives on the right hand side of the road.

Qatar has a desert climate with year-round sunshine, extreme temperatures during summer and mild winters. Average monthly temperatures range from 17°C in January to 36°C in July, sometimes reaching highs of 40°C+ during the summer months.

Conceived of in 2012 The Year of Culture is an initiative by Qatar Museums. Taking place with another country, the year-long cultural exchange programme invites people to explore a new culture, through a variety of exhibitions, festivals, competitions and events.

As Qatar gears up to host the first-ever World Cup, here we unveiled top 10 tourist attractions in Qatar and gave you the best travel insights into this oil-rich country.

Bursting with diverse world-class museums and cutting-edge art galleries, the Museum of Islamic Art has lured tourists from home and abroad to discover its unique charms and cultures. Designed by world-renowned architect I. M. Pei, the museum is noted as the crown jewel of museums in Qatar and has become one of the marvels of the modern Middle East.

Through great works of art, the Museum of Islamic Art is an ideal place to showcase the achievements of Islamic civilization and abundant Islamic cultures. Perched just off the Corniche, the museum looks like a gigantic broken Rubik cube floating on water from some angles. Looking from the inside, you will discover that the whole architecture is a masterpiece of light and space. In addition, the museum features year-round high-profile rotating exhibitions, adding highlights to the wealth of knowledge here.

No trip to Qatar would be complete without travelling to Khor Al Adaid. Located in northwest part of Qatar, just a short drive from the capital of Doha, the Khor AI Adaid, also known as the ‘Inland sea’, is the desert marvel of Qatar featuring backdrops of large, crescent-shaped sand dunes on the water’s edge — It is one of the few places in the world where the desert and sea meet, making a unique sight as ocean waves appear on the horizon beyond the dunes. The spectacular landscapes offer world-class experiences to travelers.

This scenic spot was declared a nature reserve in 2007 and was recommended to be the UNESCO world heritage site, which has witnessed the profound history of Qatar for years.

For those who want to escape from the hustle and bustle of urban life and find inner peace, this site is actually a paradise of tranquility and relaxation.

Once a thriving pearl fishing and trading hub in late 18th century and early 19th century, AI Zubarah Archaeological Site is now a well-preserved and largest World heritage site in Qatar. The most famous spot is the old fort. Constructed in 1938 with high and thick walls, and fort has also served as a coastguard station.

with an impressive city wall, ancient residential palaces, streets, houses, markets, industrial areas and mosques, the Al Zubarah Archaeological Site is a gateway to Qatar’s past, as well as an ideal place for history lovers.

Stretched in a half-moon shape, the Doha Corniche is a waterfront palm-fringed boulevard which runs 7 kilometers along the Doha Bay and the city’s sea-front, offering views over the crystal-clear water from every angle.

Walking along the Corniche, you can view the magnificent urban landscapes, including the high-rise buildings in the CBD, the Museum of Islamic Art, gorgeous parks with children’s play areas, and many luxury hotels. Sometimes you could also see the traditional wooden sloops in the bay.

You might be told by locals not to take a stroll during the daytime in summer here as the weather is too hot and there is relatively little shade to be found. While it would be very cozy to while away the summer heat when taking a stroll along the corniche at night. The Doha corniche is indeed one of the most captivating parts of this capital city.

As one of the landmarks in Doha, the Pearl Island is an artificial island and situated off the coast of Doha’s west bay. The island is also a luxurious residential complex that features numerous residential buildings, villas and hotels, and the wharf is often full of luxury yachts.

A trip to the Pearl Island in Doha would leave you with a great impression before you leave the country. The island resembles Italy’s Venice on the whole, and it contains a variety of shopping centers, boardwalks and water taxis, making it a shopping paradise for travelers all over the world.

Home to many traditional Arabic restaurants and a focal point for locals and tourists, the vibrant complex Souq Waqif in Doha, built on the site of Doha’s century old trading market, is undoubtedly one of the most popular places to hang out with friends, particularly after dusk.

For newcomers, walking in the Souq Waqif was like walking in a maze of shops bursting with traditional garments, spices, handicrafts, household goods and souvenirs.

In addition, the Souq Waqif is also home to Falcon Souq where visitors can view the majestic birds standing on the shopkeeper’s arms.

Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, the National Museum of Qatar tells the story of Qatar and its people from earliest times to the present, bringing to life the peninsula’s natural history, giving voice to Qatar’s rich heritage and culture, and expressing a vibrant community’s aspirations for the future.

Jean Nouvel’s new architecture incorporates the Palace while seamlessly integrating innovative artworks commissioned from Qatari and artists from home and abroad, rare and precious objects, documentary materials, and interactive learning opportunities.

The whole architecture is like the Desert Rose — not a plant, but a special geological phenomenon in the desert. Both exteriors and interiors of the building evokes a feeling of otherworldly design that is beyond expectations of any visitor. Apart from its extraordinary structure, the museum displays exhibitions from all that are considered historic, rare and artistic including archeological artifacts as well as limited car models.

The museum officially made its debut on March 28, 2019.

Nestled on the eastern coast between West Bay and the Pearl, the Katara Cultural Village boasts a variety of cafes, an open-air theater, outdoor markets and buildings designed in the traditional Qatari fashion. The theme of the village is ‘Beyond Boundaries’ and it is envisioned to offer a glimpse of the future.

Since opening in late 2010, Katara Cultural Village has been a hub for art and culture lovers in the city. This tourist attraction is very huge and one or two days might not be enough to cover them all so here are our honorable mentions that you could definitely check out in case you are time-constrained:

1. The Gold Mosque

2. The Amphitheatre

3. 21 High Street

4. Al Thuraya Planetarium

This tourist attraction has gained quite popularity in recent years and gradually become one of the must-visit places in Qatar. Film City — a few also call it ‘Cinema City’ — has a mysterious backstory and it is probably one of the reasons why people are drawn to this place.

It’s said by many people that this small town was once built as a set to film movies and TV series a while ago, however everything here was halted in the middle and all equipment was moved out. No one really knows what has happened and the true story behind this, but the Film City has not been explored by many yet and has an intriguing vibe, something that visitors chase after.

As a replica of an ancient Arabic village, this tourist attraction is also one of the offbeat destinations for tourists to escape from the crowd.

10. Qatar National Library: A paradise for book lovers

If you are a book lover, then you can’t miss one of the tourist attractions in Qatar — Qatar National Library. With a massive collection of rare documents and manuscripts, books and periodicals in many European and Asian languages, visitors could definitely wander in the sea of books.

Qatar National library is the latest expression of OMA’s long-term interest in the library, which goes back to the competition for the National Library of France in 1989.

The library is also part of the Education City, a new academic campus which hosts satellite campuses from leading universities and institutions from around the world.

Qatar 2022 will be the last World Cup for a series of star players, but most attention will go to Lionel Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal. How will the long-time rivals do in their "last dance"?

😉 Read more:

FIFA Qatar World Cup 2022: 8 Stadiums and nearby recommended hotels

Trending Travelogues

Popular trip moments, popular travel types, popular attractions, popular destinations, recommended attractions at popular destinations.

• Customer Support
• Service Guarantee
• More Service Info
• Website Feedback

• About Trip.com
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Statement
• About Trip.com Group

Other Services

• Investor Relations
• Affiliate Program
• List My Property
• Become a Supplier

• Personalize

Qatar’s Tourism Industry Thrives Post-World Cup: A 347% Increase in Arrivals Expected

After hosting the 2022 World Cup, Qatar is witnessing a massive surge in tourism, with growth attributed to new festivals, attractions, and improved diplomatic relations in the Gulf region

Tourism to Qatar has increased dramatically since the oil-rich nation hosted the World Cup in late 2022.

Many new arrivals hail from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a regional economic union of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Some are GCC citizens, while others are workers based in one of the union’s member states.

The new influx shows that Doha, the capital city of this Middle Eastern country, is increasingly competitive with more traditional tourist centers such as Dubai and Manama, capitals of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, or the Riyadh Season, a Saudi sports and entertainment festival.

In 2023, official sources project a 347% increase over 2022 in the number of foreign arrivals.

This growth is attributed in part to a series of newly organized festivals and tourist developments, including the Lusail Winter Wonderland in Lusail City, 8 miles north of Doha.

It’s only four hours from Bahrain by car or 450 kilometers

Recently improved diplomatic relations between Qatar and its neighbors are helping to boost tourism. In 2017, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and blocked transport links with Doha, arguing that its rulers were supporting terrorism.

The diplomatic standoff ended in early 2021. Kuwait and the US helped broker the Al-Ula agreement, which normalized relations between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, along with several other countries, including Egypt and Jordan.

Rashid Khalid, a Bahraini citizen, said he hadn’t set foot in Doha from 2017 to January 2023. Since then, however, he had visited six times, taking advantage of the city’s proximity to his home. “It’s only four hours from Bahrain by car or 450 kilometers,” Khalid explained.

Khalid appreciated Doha’s tourist attractions, which “have changed a lot compared to the past. I love them now. They are designed to suit travelers from GCC countries and are adapted to the Gulf’s tastes and culture, especially with regard to the hot weather.”

He was also enthusiastic about Doha’s streets and infrastructure, which have “become very spacious and comfortable for tourists.” In his case, visiting relatives in the country’s capital was a bonus.

Serious efforts have been made to develop the country’s infrastructure in recent years, despite the 2017-2021 diplomatic rupture and closure of the border with Saudi Arabia, its only land outlet.

The country has launched several large tourist projects, including the Lusail City complex. This development boasts islands, boulevards, and an assortment of tourist activities. Another new development is the Msheireb project in downtown Doha, a retail, cultural, and business complex with outdoor air conditioners and walkways.

Developers have designed other areas to suit special tourist interests, including cultural activities, history, marine biology, the natural environment, and sports.

Public transportation is also a plus. Doha is now served by a new metro, inaugurated in 2019, and an extensive network of public buses.

Sports figures prominently in the country’s tourism plans. The 2022 World Cup was a major landmark, and Doha is now working to organize additional international events.

These include the 2023 Asia Cup, which will host 24 football teams and feature Qatar as defending champion, and the Grand Prix, a Formula One extravaganza that debuted in 2021 and is now considered one of the Gulf’s most advanced racing circuits.

The Tourism Ministry is projecting an eventual arrival rate of 6 million to 7 million visitors annually, a dramatic increase over the 2022 figure of 2.6 million arrivals from abroad.

To date, the peak year for number of visitors was 2015, when 2.9 million arrived, while a historic low of 560,000 visitors was recorded in 2020, due to COVID restrictions and the Saudi blockade.

Although future tourism projections for the country are high, they are still lower than those of other GCC countries.

In 2022, for example, Saudi Arabia welcomed 16.5 million international visitors, several million of whom participated in the Haj and Umrah pilgrimages. The United Arab Emirates received 14.3 million international visitors, while Bahrain welcomed 9.9 million.

Tourism’s economic weight in the country is substantial, however. In 2021, travel and tourism accounted for roughly 10% of the gross domestic product, higher than the GCC average that year of 6.6%. Qatar Tourism, a government agency, hopes this contribution will climb to 12% by 2030.

Dr. Omar Alhawi, the dean of student affairs at The University of Technology in Bahrain, has visited Doha several times since the World Cup. The city is easy to access, he says, and border officials offer a visa upon arrival for only 100 Qatari riyals, or roughly $27.

Alhawi extolled Doha’s libraries, research, and cultural centers. “Every time I visit, I explore new places,” he said.

It is one of the most beautiful and cleanest countries I have ever visited, and its prices are not high

Bassam Abdullah, a Saudi tourism blogger, documented his visit to the country on Snapchat and TikTok, advising GCC residents to visit if they could.

Speaking with the Media Line during a live TikTok broadcast, Abdullah urged “everyone to visit Qatar. It is one of the most beautiful and cleanest countries I have ever visited, and its prices are not high.” The state does not charge value-added tax on consumer purchases, although that may soon change.

In Abdullah’s experience, “Qatar is more beautiful than the 55 capitals I have visited so far.” Although all GCC countries compete for tourists and design events and venues to deal with the heat, Qatar is distinctive, Abdallah says, because “there is air conditioning in the streets.”

Ahmed Al Balushi, a former regional manager for Oman Air, is similarly enamored of Doha. “I have visited Qatar several times,” he said, and ever “since the World Cup, things have changed a lot. Doha is constantly developing.” Car travel from Oman is easy and “the roads are clear and fast.”

Ahmed Abdullah, a tourism expert and owner of travel and tourism offices in Saudi Arabia, told The Media Line that he is seeing “an increase in tourists heading to Doha.”

Along with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, this Gulf state is seeking to increase tourism revenues. “We have begun to see great shows and festivals that suit everyone,” Abdallah explains.

A new tourism cooperation agreement between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia means that the two countries “can become a single destination for foreign tourists.” In the future, Abdallah believes, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates may join in.

At some point, Abdallah predicted, a “GCC Schengen” may emerge, a shared geographic space that visitors can tour as a single entity. This, the travel expert said, “will significantly enhance tourism in the Gulf.”

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Assessing Tourism Legacy Impact

The Skift Advisory report on FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is a crucial resource providing insights into the impact of the event on travelers’ perceptions and their willingness to visit Middle Eastern/North African destinations. Derived from a survey of 15,000 international travelers from 20 countries, the study explores key metrics such as willingness to travel, regional preferences, and post-World Cup sentiment changes.

The analysis delves into the Middle East sports investment landscape, anticipating growth and attracting high-value sports tourism. It scrutinizes Qatar’s efforts to leverage the World Cup for brand positioning, addressing questions on return on investment and changes on travelers’ sentiment linked to major sports events. 

For industry insights, the study offers a nuanced understanding of sentiment changes towards Middle Eastern/North African destinations post-FIFA World Cup. The insights on Dubai and Morocco’s positive exposure provide strategic opportunities for travel professionals, making this report essential for informed decision-making and tailored destination marketing strategies.

Interested in working with us or learning more about Skift Advisory? Email [email protected] .

In this report:

• World Cup Investment: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: costliest, exceeding $229 billion over a decade.
• Expenditure Overview: Explore modern World Cup trends, emphasizing Qatar's unique spending beyond standard.
• Hosting Impact: Qatar's hosting aligns with escalating sports investment in the Middle East.
• Regional Growth: Anticipate rapid sports investment growth, drawing wealthy tourists to neighboring countries.
• Return on Investment: Scrutinize post-event plans, focusing on legacy tourism and return on investment.
• Market Insights: Offer travel willingness insights, emphasizing regional variations.
• Select Destinations Deep-Dive: Highlight varied responses for Qatar, Dubai, and Morocco, exploring polarization, and spotlighting positive exposure.

Want more? Check out these other reports that you might be interested in:

Send me the report.

2022 FIFA World Cup: Tourism Springboard or Critical Spotlight?

Despite subjecting the small Gulf state to criticism, over the long term, hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup enhances Qatar’s brand recognition and can help accelerate the country’s tourism agenda.

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

AGSIW's publications are also available in Arabic. Help AGSIW expand its Arabic-language analysis.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha from November 20 to December 18 presents an unparalleled opportunity for Qatari officials to market various aspects of their country to in-person fans and viewers. Between 1.2 million and 1.5 million visitors are expected to attend the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha over the month, and around 5 billion people will watch the tournament. Yet visibility and criticism often go hand in hand – Qatari and FIFA officials have contended with harsh critics. Qatar’s brand recognition is poised to be a big winner nonetheless, ultimately boosting the small Gulf state’s tourism credentials and future prospects.

The 2010 announcement that Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup gave Qatari officials more than a decade to prepare. Preparations to transform the small state into a location capable of hosting such an event have been costly. Estimates of Qatar’s infrastructure spending over the past decade range from $220 billion to more than $300 billion , though government officials note that much of this development was already planned. Qatar possesses significant financial capabilities: The government generated $17.85 billion in revenue during the first quarter of 2022 and $23.54 billion during the second quarter.

World Cup-oriented development initiatives took place alongside a broader clarification and later revamp of the country’s tourism plans. In 2014, Qatar launched its National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030. The strategy aimed to attract more than 7 million tourists per year by 2030, up from about 1.2 million in 2012, and boost annual domestic tourist trips to nearly 2.5 million. Qatari officials hoped the tourism industry would become a “ main engine for development ” to increase the number of small and medium enterprises, encourage entrepreneurship, and strengthen the private sector.

The Qatar Tourism Authority revamped the country’s tourism strategy in 2017. That June and August, Qatar introduced the first phase of an e-licensing system to facilitate business tourism and waived visa requirements for over 80 countries. In September 2017, Qatar launched a blueprint to guide the next stage of the tourism strategy over five years. This included the transformation of the Qatar Tourism Authority into the National Tourism Council, which reports to a board chaired by the prime minister. By 2023, officials want tourism’s contribution to gross domestic product to reach 3.8%, hotel occupancy rates to reach 72%, and 5.6 million visitors per year to arrive in the country.

The coronavirus pandemic proved a substantial obstacle to meeting Qatar’s tourism targets, especially concerning visitor numbers. In 2019 , Qatar welcomed nearly 2.14 million visitors – reflecting a 17% increase over 2018 figures – before plunging by 73% in 2020, resulting in a mere 581,000 arrivals.

International arrivals to Qatar edged slightly upward in 2021 to reach 611,000 visitors but remained far below targets. The reconciliation among Gulf Arab states at the Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Al-Ula in early 2021 enabled Saudi Arabia to serve as the second-largest source market for visitors to Qatar that year, with most Saudis traveling across land borders that for several years had been closed. In October 2021, Qatar Tourism – the latest governance structure for the country’s tourism sector – launched a new international campaign to help drive tourism. The World Cup festivities and the 850,000 visitors expected to stay overnight throughout the tournament will provide a major boost to 2022 figures.

The World Cup activities in Doha have spillover effects in neighboring Gulf Arab states, which offer nearby hubs for fans willing to take a short flight to attend matches. The tourism sectors in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait as well as these countries’ airlines all stand to gain from the influx of visitors for the World Cup. Further, the World Cup has provided the Qatari government with new opportunities to strengthen regional ties. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attended the opening ceremony of the World Cup, and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan has visited Qatar during the tournament. The persistence of poor Qatari-Bahraini relations, however, has limited Bahrain’s ability to capitalize on the World Cup.

Hosting the World Cup has heightened Qatar’s exposure to criticism from international observers, nongovernmental organizations, and foreign government officials. The sharpest criticism centers around human rights issues , especially the treatment of migrant workers and minority groups, such as the LGBTQ community. Calls to improve the status of vulnerable segments of the population in Qatar should be taken seriously; however, these socioeconomic and legal challenges are not unique to Qatar and its hosting of the World Cup but rather tap into broader, long-standing concerns about certain aspects of Gulf Arab societies.

Other, less significant criticism revolves around the availability of alcohol – including a last-minute decision to ban sales of alcoholic beer at the eight stadiums hosting matches – and the lack of affordable tourism packages for international fans. Qatar’s neighboring Gulf countries also strictly limit or block the sale and consumption of alcohol and are increasingly prioritizing luxury tourism projects and initiatives. Given its small size, Qatari officials want to avoid an oversupply of tourism infrastructure intended for a consumer segment that is unlikely to return to Qatar after the World Cup.

After the last player leaves the World Cup pitch, Qatar faces two major tourism-related challenges. First, the government needs to promote smart, sustainable economic growth. It will be a challenge to maintain economic momentum without an urgent need to spend tens of billions of dollars annually on infrastructure. Second, Qatari officials and private sector actors must cooperate to best utilize – and repurpose if necessary – the World Cup-related infrastructure.

In a sign of growing confidence around the World Cup, Qatar is planning a bid to host the 2036 Olympics , despite three failed attempts to host the games in the past. A joint bid with neighboring countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, may provide another platform to strengthen regional ties over the longer term. Whatever happens with the 2036 Olympics, the 2022 FIFA World Cup is not a one-off for Qatar but rather a crucial component in its sports tourism development narrative. In 2019, Qatar hosted the World Championships in Athletics and the World Corporate Games, and the country is gearing up to host the FINA World Swimming Championship in 2023. Although the World Cup provides a major tourism boost, the broader success of Qatar’s tourism sector will depend on precisely how officials ensure the small country remains an attractive tourist destination over the coming years.

Robert Mogielnicki is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

Erdogan Politically Wounded But Still Turkey’s Dominant Power

Opposition success in Turkey’s local elections is an unprecedented rebuke to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While his constitutional power and dominance of the judiciary remain intact, Erdogan is probably in his final term and will find domestic and foreign initiatives somewhat more complicated.

Rise of Captagon Trafficking in the Gulf

As Syria’s reintegration into the region continues, a holistic, long-term approach is needed to tackle the Captagon crisis plaguing the Middle East.

India’s Balancing Act in the Middle East

Amid escalating tensions over the Gaza war, India is increasing engagement with varied actors in the Middle East.

Through its careful examination of the forces shaping the evolution of Gulf societies and the new generation of emerging leaders, AGSIW facilitates a richer understanding of the role the countries in this key geostrategic region can be expected to play in the 21st century.

World Cup Countdown: Qatar Tourism’s growth and development plans unveiled

As the one year countdown to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 grows closer, Qatar Tourism has revealed its short-term goals for 2022, as well as a longer term tourism vision.

The ‘Qatar Tourism Strategy 2030’ is leveraging the peninsula’s variety of existing experiences and capitalising on a wave of new hotels, theme parks, shops and major leisure projects that have recently opened or are set to launch in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

The strategy aims to grow annual international visitor arrivals three-fold to reach 6 million by 2030, making Qatar the fastest growing destination in the Middle East for international visitors for the years until 2030.

Qatar Tourism aims to quadruple visitors in-destination spend from 2019 levels by increasing length of stay and enhancing tourism product, and for travel and tourism to contribute 10% of the country’s GDP by 2030. This will position Doha as one of the top 20 cities by spend per tourist and to make Qatar a global leader in Service Excellence.

As part of this, Qatar is adding 105 new hotels and serviced apartments to its already extensive portfolio of properties, as the country gears up to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. The new properties, including Banyan Tree Doha; the Pullman Doha West Bay; the JW Marriott West Bay; and the Steigenberger Hotel, will broaden Qatar’s appeal to a range of travellers whatever their budget, and enhance the visitor experience.

One of Qatar’s most impressive investments to date has been the eight brand new exceptional sports stadiums and facilities that will host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. For the first time in FIFA World Cup™ history, all stadiums are within close proximity, with the longest distance between venues just 75 km. To cater for the increase in visitors, transport facilities have also been improved, including the metro system which now links the stadiums to residential areas, tourist zones and soon-to-be fan villages. The country’s Uber and taxi offerings have been expanded, and a large fleet or electric scooters and bicycles will be available to hire.

As a fast-emerging and expanding tourism destination, Qatar is also committed to environmental protection and sustainable development. Sustainability is one of the key pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030 – the country’s strategy to manage a rapid domestic expansion and ensure harmony in economic growth, social development, and environmental protection. The vision includes a commitment to Qatar’s tourism proposition and across the tourism sector, Qatar Tourism is spearheading sustainable urban and natural development, both by improving its existing assets and creating new ones, ready to welcome visitors.

Sustainability is at the heart of preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, with Qatar on course to deliver the first carbon-neutral event in tournament history. Reducing its carbon footprint in the lead-up to the first FIFA World Cup™ in the Middle East and Arab world is made possible by the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) certification or no internal flights. Fans, players and officials will not need to take any domestic flights once they arrive in Qatar. Thanks to the compact nature of the event, they will never be far from a stadium, training site or tourist attraction, which is in stark contrast to previous tournaments.

Moreover, there will be the first fully dismountable FIFA World Cup™ stadium. Constructed from shipping containers with removable seats, the stunning Ras Abu Aboud Stadium will provide an innovative blueprint for major tournament hosts in future. The 40,000-capacity venue will be completely dismantled and repurposed after the event, with its parts used to create sporting facilities in Qatar and overseas. The shipping containers used to build the stadium were originally used to transport materials to Qatar for the construction.

MICE to contribute 20% for Qatar’s 2030 goal of 6 million tourists annually

Feel winter in Qatar

A look at how Qatar’s Tourism sector has grown…

Qatar Airways brings football legends together

Since you're here...

...there are many ways you can work with us to advertise your company and connect to your customers. Our team can help you design and create an advertising campaign

We can also organize a real life or digital event for you and find thought leader speakers as well as industry leaders, who could be your potential partners, to join the event. We also run some awards programmes which give you an opportunity to be recognized for your achievements during the year and you can join this as a participant or a sponsor.

Let us help you drive your business forward with a good partnership!

Yes, contact me I want to download the media kit

Comments are closed.

LATEST STORIES

The 10 most affordable water parks to visit this summer in the US

GenZ Women lead rebound in Chinese Outbound Travel

IWTA speaks with Mary Li, Founder and CEO, Atlas

Viking announces new Mongolia extension for China voyages starting in 2024

Welcome, Login to your account.

Sign in with Google

Powered by wp-glogin.com

Recover your password.

A password will be e-mailed to you.

Welcome back, Log in to your account.

SIGN UP FOR FREE

Be part of our community of seasoned travel and hospitality industry professionals from all over the world.

• LOGIN / SIGN UP
• Middle East
• UK & Europe
• USA & Canada
• Hospitality
• HR & Careers
• Luxury Travel
• MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions)
• Travel Tech
• Travel Agents
• Airlines / Airports
• Conferences
• Cruising (Ocean)
• Cruising (River)
• Destination Management (DMC)
• Hotels & Resorts
• Hotel Management Company
• Hotel Technology
• HR / Appointments
• Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions (MICE)
• Travel Agents (all)
• Travel Technology
• Tourism Boards
• Industry appointments
• Travel Bloggers
• Podcasts – Features
• How to join
• RSVP Portal
• Event Photos/Videos
• Competitions
• Search for Jobs
• Destination NaJomtien BanAmphur BangSaray *NEW*
• จุดหมายปลายทาง นาจอมเทียน หาดบ้านอำเภอ บางเสร่ *NEW*
• South Australia Reward Wonders *NEW*
• Ponant Yacht Cruises and Expeditions
• Encore Tickets (Chinese Guide)
• Affordable Luxury in Thailand by Centara Hotels
• Rising Above the Oridinary by Conrad Bangkok
• The Best of Thailand
• Who is IWTA
• Philippines
• Recommend Someone
• Recommend yourself
• Awards site
• Be a Sponsor
• Nominate Now
• Buy Tickets
• TRAVEL CLUB

You can also sign in using your account in one of the social networks.

Create account for free and enjoy unlimited access to exclusive industry insights and reports

Qatar hopes the World Cup will help attract six to seven million visitors a year by 2030, about three times more than the 2.1 million visitors recorded the year before the pandemic outbreak (Shutterstock).

What are Qatar’s tourism opportunities after the FIFA World Cup 2022?

BY Petra Loho

The country invested $300 billion into infrastructure development ahead of the global tournament..

Following in the footsteps of 17 countries, Qatar becomes the first Arab state to host a FIFA World Cup when the three-week soccer tournament kicks off on 21 November and catches the region’s winter-based high tourism season.

While Qatar’s hospitality sector’s performance edged down to 62.5% in the first quarter of 2022 (2021: 77.4%), current flight bookings demonstrate an encouraging sentiment and experts say, supported by a robust gross domestic product (GDP) outlook, Qatar’s focus will shift from infrastructure development to tourism.

The aim is to ride the World Cup Soccer wave to its maximum as the country hopes to mimic the post-tournament highs the $14 billion added to the Russian economy in 2018.

“As of 1 July 2022, flight bookings for Qatar during the FIFA World Cup are already 2% ahead of where they were in 2019, pre-pandemic; and bookings for the first nine days are 98% ahead,” Olivier Ponti, VP Insights, at travel data and analytics company ForwardKeys , told Salaam Gateway.

He expects surges in flight bookings and, to a lesser extent cancellations, after the qualifying games’ results are known and fans support their teams in the latter rounds.

The tournament held in Russia in 2018 attracted almost three million foreign visitors. For Qatar, besides fans travelling internationally, an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report published in June suggests the end of the diplomatic falling-out between Qatar, other Gulf countries, and Egypt, which lasted from June 2017 to January 2021, will boost intra-regional travel.

Transnational travel itineraries during the World Cup period will also spur tourism demand in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries with visitors’ spending increasing excise tax and VAT revenues in the applicable countries.

Oman and the UAE will likely benefit the most as fans may choose to stay there, given limited accommodation options in the host country. Qatar Airway’s same-day flight shuttle service from Muscat and Dubai, advertised for $258 in economy and $998 in business class, will bring soccer enthusiasts to the games in Doha.

Beyond the FIFA World Cup

Qatar’s GDP recorded an average 4.5% growth between 2010, the year the country was awarded the right to host the World Cup, and 2020, according to the IMF. In 2022, Qatar’s real GDP growth is forecast at 4.1%, fuelled by higher hydrocarbon prices.

This makes Qatar the second-fastest growing GCC nation after Saudi Arabia with 5.1%, according to data analytics and consulting company GlobalData .

Most of the $300 billion investments in preparation for the World Cup covered general infrastructure projects such as building an integrated railway and metro system, road development, airport expansion and building Lusail city where foreigners can buy properties. Qatar spent between $6.5 billion and $10 billion building the eight stadiums; an amount the IMF reports is in line with the spending of previous hosting countries. These infrastructure projects realise Qatar’s ambitious tourism strategy, including spreading tourism offerings across the country rather than just Doha.

While a Qatar Tourism spokesperson told Salaam Gateway the plans don’t contain a specific Muslim-friendly tourism focus, the strategy anchors upholding Qatar’s Arab and Islamic identity. These include encouraging family values as one of its four guiding principles.

Speaking at an industry event earlier this year, Berthold Trenkel, chief operating officer at Qatar Tourism , said Qatar targets six to seven million visitors by 2030, about three times more than the 2.1 million visitors recorded the year before the pandemic outbreak.

“We’re also talking about nearly doubling the GDP share to 12%,” Trenkel said.

As a way to grow inbound tourism, Trenkel names cruise ship tourism which accounted for 190,000 visitors in 2019, spurred by the inauguration of Doha port’s new Grand Terminal before the start of the World Cup.

According to Qatar Tourism’s website, the 24,000m2 terminal can handle 12,000 passengers daily, offering them the same level of service and facilities as Hamad International Airport. This includes seamless immigration, customs and foreign exchange facilities, along with other tourist services.

Future tourism markets

While Qatar Tourism expects to grow visitor numbers from GCC countries – for example through a recent partnership with Emerald Cruises that introduces new superyacht luxury cruises and offers eight-day itineraries with stops around the Gulf region – the country’s future tourism market is going to be a mixed bag.

According to Fitch Solutions, Qatar expanded its source markets as the Saudi-led blockade, which ran from mid 2017 to early 2021, encouraged the country to find non-GCC markets and develop new tourism ties with mainland China, Europe and the USA.

For 2022, Indian arrivals are forecast at 303,000, followed by primarily GCC markets in the top 10 including Saudi Arabia (291,000), UAE (65,300), Oman (64,000) and Kuwait (46,000). The UK (111,260), US (77,000) and France (34,900) make up the three long-haul destinations in the top 10 ranking. Fitch Solutions sees Middle East and North African (MENA) arrivals growing from 711,100 in 2022 to over 1.1 million by 2026, driven by Saudi and UAE visitors. Over the same period, European arrivals will grow from 308,100 in 2022 to 620,600 by 2026, while Asia-Pacific visitors, driven mainly by Indian and Chinese tourists, will grow to 905,800 by 2026, up from just under 534,900 in 2022.

© SalaamGateway.com 2022. All Rights Reserved

However, if you would like to share the information in this article, you may use the headline, summary and link below:

Exclusive: 765K World Cup visitors fall short of Qatar's expected 1.2M influx

• Medium Text

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Andrew Mills Editing by Toby Davis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

Lifestyle Chevron

As Mexican banda music scales new heights globally, a festering dispute in the genre's traditional home turf pits frustrated hotel owners against the strolling ensembles that play songs on the beach at all hours of the day and night.

The "Golden Bachelor" reality TV couple, who wed on national television after a romance that captivated viewers with the possibility of finding love late in life, announced on Friday they are divorcing just three months into their marriage.

Qatar is welcoming 102 countries visa-free, check your visa status  here .

Select your language

Five major tourism developments opening in Qatar before the FIFA World Cup 2022™

News Published on

• New resorts, theme parks and beaches set to appeal to broad mix of travel lovers
• Flurry of openings continues in Qatar one year after the re-opening of borders

Doha, Qatar, 12 July 2022: Before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ kicks off in November an assortment of exceptional new tourism developments will open across the country. From a winter-sun wonderland to a water sports paradise, these developments each add something special to the peninsula’s eclectic mix of attractions and activities to suit every type of traveller.  

Before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ kicks off in November an assortment of exceptional new tourism developments will open across the country. From a winter-sun wonderland to a water sports paradise, these developments each add something special to the peninsula’s eclectic mix of attractions and activities to suit every type of traveller.

One year after Qatar re-opened its borders to the world on 12 July 2021, Qatar Tourism reveals the latest attractions that will build on the extensive tourism development strategy of the last few years. Qatar aims to capitalise on the influx of over one million visitors expected for the FIFA World Cup 2022™ and show the world its hidden treasures and unmissable holiday potential. 

Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel, said: “The countdown to the World Cup is well underway and there’s lots of world-class attractions to come before the matches begin. Amongst the buzz around the tournament itself we hope people are wowed by Qatar’s state-of-the-art new tourism developments, significantly boosting the country’s appeal as a leading holiday destination. There are new beaches for those looking for sun, sea and sand, theme parks and water sports hotels for the adventurous, and lots of new resorts, spas and restaurants for visitors seeking a more relaxing getaway.”

Five major upcoming openings

1.       Winter Wonderland

Pack your shades and sun cream for the Doha Winter Wonderland, set to be launched in Qatar later this year on a sandy island. Instead of the icy cold temperatures that greet visitors at the famous sister event in Hyde Park, London, travellers to Doha Winter Wonderland will be able to relax on the beach under delightful average temperatures in the mid 20°Cs.

Doha Winter Wonderland will feature seafront chalets, restaurants, festival games, 50 rides, and cafes, bringing the festive spirit to the Middle East.

Situated near Lusail City just north of Qatar’s capital, the upcoming 200,000 square metre attraction will be operated by IMG (International Marketing Group), the same company that manages Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park each year.

2.       Fuwairit Kite Beach (FKB)

FKB is an upcoming state-of-the-art kite beach resort in Fuwairit. Fuwairit is a coastal village an easy hour drive north of Doha with excellent kitesurfing conditions thanks to consistent winds, ideal ocean water and powder-soft sands.

The resort is designed around the kitesurfer’s lifestyle with everything you need for the water and even more when you are out of it. There will be a yoga studio, fully equipped gym, restaurants, pool and much more.

3.       The Outpost Al Barari

The Outpost will be the first of its kind in Qatar, integrating close-to-nature experiences, sustainability, and luxury hospitality into one beautiful resort in the globally unique Inland Sea nature reserve. 

Surrounded by soaring sand dunes and desert wilderness, 21 luxury lodges with private pools will provide the perfect retreat from hectic city life. Stargazing, hot air ballooning, and immersive desert walks where you will learn about the local wildlife will be among the experiences on offer, alongside “Emerge in Nature” spa treatments and sensational culinary experiences.

4.       Qetaifan Island North

Billed as the first “Entertainment Island” in Qatar, Qetaifan Island North will feature floating hotels, beach clubs and a water park with 36 rides – including “The Icon Tower” zone, featuring an 85-metre-high slide set to become the highest of its kind in the world.

Set over 1.3 million square metres, the island is close to the Lusail Stadium, where the final of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ will take place.

5.       West Bay North Beach Project

West Bay North Beach is an extensive new tourism development being constructed, covering 40,000 square metres of a premium beachfront in the heart of Doha. The public and private beach areas will offer three distinct beach experiences with a wide variety of food and beverage offerings, to create a sought-after city beach experience for everyone to enjoy.

The wave of new resorts and attractions adds to a flurry of openings in Qatar over the last couple of years. In March 2022 the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum launched as one world’s most innovate sports museums. In 2021 one of the region’s largest theme parks called Desert Falls Water & Adventure Park opened with 28 slides and rides. And last summer a theme park called Quest Doha was unveiled featuring the world’s tallest indoor rollercoaster.

There will also be lots of exciting events in Qatar after the FIFA World Cup 2022™. The country will host a Qatar Formula 1 Grand Prix for at least a decade from 2023, along with the new Geneva International Motorshow Qatar.

For the latest on Qatar’s best attractions and vibrant calendar of events visit: www.visitqatar.com

For media-related inquiries, please contact Qatar Tourism’s Press Office on:

+974 7774 7863 | pressoffice@visitqatar.qa

About Qatar:

Qatar is a peninsula surrounded by the Arabian Gulf in the heart of the Middle East, with 80% of the earth’s population within a six-hour flight. Ranked the safest country in the world in 2022 by Numbeo, Qatar welcomes all travellers, and guests from over 95 countries can enter visa-free. Qatar has an incredible variety of easily accessible tourist attractions, a plethora of fauna and flora including Whale Sharks and the majestic national animal the Arabian Oryx, and most experiences are a unique combination of cultural authenticity and modernity. From iconic museums to high-rise restaurants, from thrilling desert adventures to world-famous events including none other than the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, there is something for all types of travellers and budgets. Travellers set to transit through Qatar should turn one holiday into two with the world’s best value stopover packages, launched by Qatar Airways and Discover Qatar and supported by Qatar Tourism.

About Qatar Tourism:

Qatar Tourism is the official government body responsible for the development and promotion of tourism in Qatar, facilitating the sector’s exponential growth. Qatar is a destination where people of the world come together to experience unique offerings in arts, culture, sports, and adventure, catering to family and business visitors, rooted in Service Excellence. Qatar Tourism seeks to boost the entire tourism value chain, grow local and international visitor demand, attract inward investment, and drive a multiplier effect across the domestic economy. The Qatar Tourism Strategy 2030 sets an ambitious target to attract over six million international visitors a year by 2030, making Qatar the fastest growing destination in the Middle East. 

Web: www.visitqatar.com

Twitter: @VisitQatar

Instagram: @VisitQatar

• Media & Press
• Tour operator
• About Qatar Tourism
• Visitqatar.com
• Amiri Diwan
• Privacy & security policy
• Cookie policy
• Terms and conditions
• Qatar Tourism brand logos
• Cookie settings

© 2024 Qatar Tourism | All rights reserved 

Qatar is welcoming 102 countries visa-free, check your visa status here .

Visit Qatar App Explore things to do in Qatar!

Select your language

Get eVisa   info

AFC U23 Asian Cup 2024

The sixth edition of this exciting football championship for players under 23 years of age will take place in Qatar this 2024. The event will be hosted at stadiums in Doha, Al Wakrah and Al Rayyan. 

Multiple locations *

15 april – 3 may.

* Locations include: Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium, Al Janoub Stadium, Khalifa International Stadium and Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

Catch the match day fever

The 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup is a spectacular biennial competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Hosted in Qatar for the second time since 2016, see all the thrilling knockout rounds where up-and-coming talent will compete to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics. A total of 16 teams will take part to beat defending champions Saudi Arabia.

See who your national team will be up against

Here are the opponents your heroes will take on to be crowned the U23 football kings of Asia. The top three finishers will qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, while the fourth-placed team will participate in a play-off against an opponent from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), for a chance to compete at the Olympics.

Saudi Arabia

Korea Republic

United Arab Emirates

THE STAGE IS SET | MATCH LINEUP 

Check out the match line-up of the 16 qualified teams, drawn into four groups of four. Mark your calendar for these key dates:

Group stages | 15 – 23 April 2024

Quarter-finals | 25 – 26 April 2024

Semi-finals | 29 April 2024

3rd / 4th places | 2 May 2024

Final | 3 May 2024

Looking back at AFC U23 in 2016

The 2016 AFC U-23 Championship (also known as the 2016 AFC U-23 Asian Cup) was held in Qatar between 12–30 January 2016. In the final match, substitute Takuma Asano came off the bench to score twice and earn Japan a dramatic 3-2 win over Korea Republic. Take a look back at the action.

Qatar is the home of football action

Qatar has been abuzz with football action for more than thirty years, reaching the pinnacle of excitement by hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and AFC Asian Cups in 1988, 2011 and most recently from January to February of 2024. Learn more about how Qatar back the love of sport and other important global sports events.

Qatar stadiums hosting AFC U-23 games

Qatar is home to some of the world’s most advanced and beautiful stadiums. Take a closer look at the four iconic stadiums hosting this year’s championship games.

Khalifa International Stadium

Al Janoub Stadium

Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium

Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium

See more of qatar’s during your stay.

Make the most of your visit to Qatar with an itinerary filled with Doha’s most iconic sights. Then indulge in some of the world’s finest cuisines before finding rest at your dream hotel

The St. Regis Doha

JW Marriott Marquis City Center Doha

Morimoto Doha

La Mar by Gastón Acurio

National Museum of Qatar

The Pearl-Qatar

Other exciting upcoming events in qatar.

Discover our exciting events calendar to plan more unforgettable sporting experiences.

Eid Al Fitr Celebration in Qatar

Apr 15 - Apr 22

16th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup - Taishan

Apr 19 - Apr 20

Things to know before travelling

Want to travel visa-free? Check if you qualify here.

Getting here

Planning your trip to Qatar? Check how to get here.

Travel tips

Make the most of your visit with our handy travel guide.

Getting around

From a dhow boat to our world-class metro, here’s how to easily explore Qatar.

• Latest edition

• Media Centre
• Terms & conditions
• Privacy notice
• Corporate website
• Amiri Diwan
• Cookie policy
• Qatar Tourism brand logos
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Cookie settings

© 2024 Qatar Tourism | All rights reserved

When is Eid al-Fitr 2024 and how is it celebrated?

The three-day festival celebrates the completion of the fasting month of Ramadan by Muslims across the world.

As a new moon was not sighted on Monday evening after Maghrib prayers, Muslims in Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries will fast one more day, completing 30 days of Ramadan. The first day of Eid will then be celebrated on Wednesday, April 10.

The first day of Eid al-Fitr is determined by the sighting of the crescent moon marking the start of the month of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic (Hijri) calendar.

Keep reading

A ramadan no palestinian will ever forget, the cost of a ramadan iftar meal around the world, ramadan 2024: where do your dates come from, in washington, dc: celebrating ramadan, protesting israel’s siege of gaza.

Lunar months last between 29 and 30 days so Muslims usually have to wait until the night before Eid to verify its date.

Other countries follow independent sightings.

When the sighting has been verified, Eid is declared on television, radio stations and at mosques.

How do Muslims celebrate Eid?

Traditionally, Eid is celebrated for three days as an official holiday in Muslim-majority countries. However, the number of holiday days varies by country.

Muslims begin Eid day celebrations by partaking in a prayer service that takes place shortly after dawn, followed by a short sermon.

On their way to the prayer, which is traditionally held in an open area, Muslims recite takbeerat, praising God by saying “Allahu Akbar”, meaning “God is great”.

It is customary to eat something sweet before the prayer, such as date -filled biscuits known as maamoul in the Middle East. This particular festival is known as the “sweet” Eid – and the distribution of sweets is common across the Muslim world.

Muslims usually spend the day visiting relatives and neighbours and accepting sweets as they move around from house to house.

Each country has traditional desserts and sweets that are prepared before Eid or on the morning of the first day.

Children, dressed in new clothes, are offered gifts and money to celebrate the joyous occasion.

Girls and women in many countries decorate their hands with henna. The celebration for Eid begins the night before as women gather in neighbourhoods and large family gatherings for the application of henna.

In some countries, families visit graveyards to offer their respects to departed family members right after the morning prayers.

It is common for Muslim-majority countries to decorate their cities with lights and hold festivities to commemorate the end of the fasting month.

Eid amid the onslaught in Gaza

For some 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza this Eid, this will be the first Muslim religious holiday after more than 33,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks. With little food aid, and very limited water, Gaza’s Eid al-Fitr will be mired in destruction amid the continuing attacks.

What are common Eid greetings?

The most popular greeting is “Eid Mubarak” (Blessed Eid) or “Eid sa’id” (Happy Eid). Eid greetings also vary depending on the country and language.

The video below shows how people say Eid Mubarak in different languages around the world.