Saudis made up the largest proportion of tourists to Qatar in 2024 at nearly a quarter of arrivals, a Visit Qatar spokesperson told Arab News.
The peninsular state bordering Saudi Arabia is pushing to boost its tourism numbers in the years following the FIFA World Cup 2022, which brought millions of visitors from around the world.
“Visitors from Saudi Arabia remain the top source market for international visitors this year, contributing around a quarter of all arrivals,” said Dr. Buthaina Mohammed Al-Janahi, media relations and communications senior manager at Visit Qatar.
More than 5 million tourists visited Qatar in 2024, officials said, with the presence of more than 1 million Saudis reflecting close ties between the neighboring countries three years after the end of a diplomatic rift.
Both countries regularly host bilateral official visits and enjoy booming trade, which has seen around $10 billion worth of contracts signed, Reuters reported.
Qatar aims to raise its tourist numbers to 6 million annually, raise tourism spending to 12 percent of GDP and create 250,000 jobs by 2030.
The World Cup saw 3.4 million people from around the world attending — the biggest influx of visitors to Qatar in the country’s history.
There was much speculation at the time about how the extensive infrastructure built for the tournament would go on to serve the country’s needs after the 3.4 million had left.
One stadium — the 974 stadium — was built to be eventually disassembled and relocated. Another, Al-Bayt stadium, is set to be converted into a luxury hotel and shopping center to serve Qatar’s growing tourist numbers as well as residents.
Today, the streets of Doha are still adorned with banners from 2022, thus far the peak of the city’s tourism.
With the unprecedented global visibility that the World Cup offered, officials are hoping to build on the success of the tournament, with the number of hotel rooms exceeding 40,061 in 2024.
Having made history as the city where Lionel Messi first led his Argentine squad to victory, football fans from South America are still flocking to the popular Souq Waqif to pick up a version of the bisht cloak that was draped around the striker’s shoulders by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
New developments like Habitas Ras Al-Abrouq — developed by government-owned Qatar Airways and launched early 2024 — aim to attract high-wealth tourists.
The hi-tech Msheireb Downtown planned city is another draw for tourists, with its hydrogen-powered tram and luxury eateries.
The district is based in one of Qatar’s most historic areas, and the redevelopment was opened in 2021.
In a prime example of how the country deploys opulent spending in order to reimagine its heritage, the Katara Cultural Village offers such attractions as the Blue Mosque and the marble amphitheater.
