Football fans have expressed their plans to revisit Qatar post-World Cup and this development is expected to be a ‘global trend’, said a travel and tourism expert.
Ayman Al Qudwa, General Manager of Falcon Travel said many of their clients who booked via their agency have confirmed their intention to visit the country the following year, and most of them are American, Canadian, Argentine and European nationals.
He also pointed that the World Cup has contributed greatly to the “revitalization of the tourism movement in Qatar in general, and will lead to attracting many pioneering investment projects in various fields of travel, tourism, hospitality and entertainment.”
The expert has also highlighted that the biggest sporting event which the country hosted is the “largest promotional campaign for tourism in the history of the country.”
Additionally, the recent recognition of Doha as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2023 by the Arab Ministerial Council for Tourism shows and affirms the city’s standing as a popular travel destination.
On a related note, Doha Bus Company General Manager, Tareq Amora told The Peninsula in a recent interview that the mega sporting event will be an eye opener to the global investors and mark the start of a period of quick economic growth in all spheres. Doha Bus is Qatar’s premier sightseeing open top tour company and is a leading destination management company in the country.
During the World Cup, more than 1.4 million fans from across the globe have visited Qatar. Latest figures from Qatar Tourism revealed that leading the visitors are from Saudi, followed by India, USA, UK, Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, France and Kuwait.
Dawn Tenenbaum from USA told The Peninsula that visiting Qatar for the first time is “astounding.” “The World Cup may be over but there’s Asian Cup next year which me and my husband will be attending, we’re both football fans. Aside from that, we would like to explore the tourist attractions in Qatar especially the outskirts for adventure.”
Zeinab Khan, an Indian national said she would come back again to Qatar next year along with her relatives. “Me and my cousins have planned to travel back in February, we are planning to go to Zubarah Fort and the Purple Island because we didn’t have time to visit those during the World Cup.”
“I will definitely go back to Qatar, and would like to explore the desert, go shopping at The Pearl and Souq Waqif where I’ve really spent a lot of time during my visit there,” said journalist Daniel Palma from Ecuador who spent three weeks in the country to watch the World Cup matches, along with his fellow four journalists.
“Qatar is a beautiful Arab country, I was impressed pleasantly on the education and culture of its people. There is no crime and the organisation of the World Cup was wonderful.
“Beyond what the detractors and those who opposed the realisation of the World Cup in Qatar, from my point of view, this nation lived up to it and gave a real lesson of organisation but above all of ethical values and morals which are very important things.”
