Qatar Witnesses an Increase in Visitors from the GCC and Europe

In order to increase the contribution of the travel and tourism sector to GDP, the Gulf nation is reducing travel restrictions and regulations. According to a new study from Qatar's Planning and Statistics Authority (PSA), the number of Gulf and European visitors increased significantly in the last month.

In March 2022, visitors from the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) accounted for 34.5 percent of all visitors to the country, with 52,691 from the Gulf, up from 18,610 in February 2022 and just 2,670 in March 2021.

The figures show a massive 1,873.4 percent growth year over year and a 183.1 percent increase month over month. With 37,490 tourists in March, Europe was the second-largest outside the region after the GCC, with just over 20,000 visitors the month before.

Even though, Asia, as well as Oceania, brought 36,969 visitors to the country. In March of this year, non-GCC Arab countries received 11,736 visitors, the Americas 10,705, and non-Arab African countries 3,173.

In sum, 152,772 visitors arrived in Doha in the same month, with 90,677 arriving by air, 8,4885 arriving by sea, and 43,610 arriving by land.

A year of record-breaking tourism

Qatar Tourism said that the Gulf nation had a nearly seven-fold increase in visitors in the first quarter of 2022 compared to prior years.

According to the data, there were 316,000 visitors between January and March 2022, compared to 581,000 and 611,000 for the whole years of 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Overcrowded airports

According to fresh data released in April by a worldwide travel data source, the Doha to London Heathrow route is among the top 10 busiest international routes by region.

Despite the pandemic, Hamad International Airport (HIA) saw a 41.37 percent rise in travelers in 2021 vs to 2020, with 17.7 million passengers serviced. In April, Doha to London had 138,796 occupied seats, placing it in the top ten in the Middle Eastern category.

Doha is one of the region's list of top 10 busiest international routes.

According to the Airports Council International (ACI) 2021 report, Doha was rated sixth among the top 10 airports with the biggest international patronage (17,701,978), trailing only Dubai, Istanbul, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Paris airports.

Doha was also listed in the top 10 in terms of air freight, with 2.6 million tonnes carried in 2021, according to the council.

Relaxed limitations lead to increased tourism.

The Gulf nation has been loosening its travel restrictions and regulations in recent months in preparation for the grand event in November and to increase travel simplification.