DOHA (Parliament Politics Magazine) – The tiny Gulf nation of Qatar is getting ready to receive over a million soccer fans as it prepares for a World Cup tourism boom. One problem: many of them are unable or unwilling to stay there.
Due to a lack of accommodations, tens of thousands of fans will prefer staying in neighbouring nations during the month-long duration of the tournament. Match-day flights from important Middle Eastern cities will transport fans to games, bringing economic benefits to hotels, airlines and hospitality venues throughout countries including Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE.
Dubai, a well-known tourist destination, stands to gain the most. Out of over 90 new flights that will arrive daily in the host city of Doha, nearly 40 will depart from the United Arab Emirates. For visitors who intend to stay in Dubai and take the 40-minute long flight to Doha with shortened immigration processes, a new hotel constructed on the Palm has been set aside.
According to Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, Dubai would be the key gateway to the World Cup, with more people likely coming through than Qatar. Qatar has a rather limited amount of hotel capacity, but they had so much to offer in Dubai.
For the past 12 years, Qatar has been preparing to host the Cup, and it expects the 1.2 million visitors to boost its economy by $17 billion. Due to worries about a lack of accommodation, the organisers have rented two cruise ships and will set up over a thousand tents on the desert. Doha will be connected to neighbouring cities like Muscat, Riyadh, Jeddah, and Kuwait City via a regional shuttle service.
Both Saudi Arabia and Oman are organising festivals to draw in visitors and ease the travel process. Due to the World Cup, the Saudi Tourism Authority anticipates welcoming 30,000 tourists, and those who have signed up for Qatar’s Hayya fan card are eligible to apply for multiple-entry visas to the country.
The tournament, according to Oman’s Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, would boost the profile of various regional attractions and have a lasting economic impact.
Qatar and FIFA have both welcomed the advantages of tourism that will come to the country.
Compact Event
The group stage, when four games per day will be played in stadiums in and around Doha, will be the busiest time for Qatar. While the farthest venue is only an hour away, the other two are only a 10-minute drive apart. Compared to the 21 World Cups that came before it, the event is now more compact.
Brazil held matches in 12 locations while Russia, who hosted the last tournament, had stadiums over 11 cities. Mexico, Canada, and the US will all take turns hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Managing director of Expat Sport, Alan Holt said that a compact tournament gives spectators the chance to see multiple games in a single day. Holt, who slept on a gym floor during the 2002 World Cup in Japan in 2002 lived in a one-bedroom flat with four friends in Moscow in 2018, said major sporting events always see accommodation crisis and this wasn’t new.Â
And World Cup fans have often demonstrated that they are ready to travel for the games.
Brazil held matches in 12 locations while Russia, who hosted the last tournament, had stadiums over 11 cities. Mexico, Canada, and the US will all take turns hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Managing director of Expat Sport, Alan Holt said that a compact tournament gives spectators the chance to see multiple games in a single day. Holt, who slept on a gym floor during the 2002 World Cup in Japan in 2002 lived in a one-bedroom flat with four friends in Moscow in 2018, said that the accommodation crisis for major sporting events was nothing new.Â
And World Cup fans have often demonstrated that they are ready to travel for the games.
First-time visitors should leave the area impressed, Holt believes. For some people, this was a bucket-list opportunity, for others, it was a four-year trip with friends, and for many, it was a chance to travel to a different part of the world than they had before, he said.
