Qatar saw more than 2mn visitors in January-April 2024

Saad bin Ali al-Kharji, chairman of Qatar Tourism, and Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister Ahmed al-Khateeb at the Qatar Economic Forum 2024. PICTURE: Thajudheen

Qatar, which has strategised efforts to strengthen its tourism industry, has seen more than 2mn visitors in the first four months of this year.

The country recorded 4mn visitors in 2023, which showed a 58.4% growth compared to 2022, said Saad bin Ali al-Kharji, chairman of Qatar Tourism, at the Qatar Economic Forum powered by Bloomberg.

Discussing the future of tourism in the Gulf region at one of the panel sessions, he underscored the role of tourism in job creation and emphasised the need for continuous infrastructure development to support the rapid growth of sectors such as transportation, agriculture, and construction, which contribute to creating both direct and indirect job opportunities.

Emphasising the pivotal role of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in supporting the region’s tourism industry growth, he said the tournament contributed “significantly” to portraying the Arabian culture and Gulf heritage to the world, thereby attracting visitors and stimulating interest in the Gulf region’s unique culture.

This resulted in notable growth in tourism investments, visitor numbers, and the development of new tourist destinations, he said in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister Ahmed al-Khateeb.

Qatar’s strategic plan calls for tourism to contribute 12% to gross domestic product. According to The World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 2024 Economic Impact Research (EIR) report, travel and Tourism is set to contribute an all-time high of QR90.8bn to the Qatari economy (11.3% of the total) and will support more than 334,500 jobs across the country (15.8% of the total workforce).

It also said spending by international travellers is expected to increase significantly this year, with forecasts indicating a record spend of QR69.6bn this year, while domestic spend is projected to reach QR12bn.

In 2023, the travel and tourism’s GDP contribution grew by 31% to a record-breaking QR81.2bn, representing 10.3% of Qatar’s total economic output, demonstrating the sector’s importance to the national economy.

Addressing the resilience of the tourism sector, al-Kharji pointed out its ability to adapt to economic and geopolitical conditions and recover rapidly from crises.

“Despite challenges, global tourism has rebounded significantly from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with travel levels surpassing 88% of pre-pandemic levels worldwide and exceeding pre-pandemic levels in the Middle East,” he added.