Qatar Tourism Remains the Big Winner in the World Cup

FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 COVID-19 requirements announced
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The 200 billion sports tourism investment by the Government of Qatar may pay off after the ongoing Soccer World Cup.

Despite human rights concerns the much-awaited 22nd FIFA men’s World Cup is currently taking place in Qatar until December 18, and may pay off big time for FIFA, Qatar, the Gulf Travel and Tourism industry, and the sports world.

The small oil and natural gas-rich Arabian Gulf nation spent $200 billion so far on infrastructure to accommodate over one million visitors during the month-long sports extravaganza. 

Saudi Arabia alone added hundreds of flights to enable a commute of fans during the World Cup, plus it facilitates overland travel

Against this backdrop, the Qatar economy is expected to grow at a faster pace of 4.6% in 2022 compared to 1.5% in 2021.

 “The much-awaited football tournament is expected to not only put Qatar on the global map as the epicenter of international tourism and business activities but also provide a major boost to the economy. The country has spent enormous amounts of money to upgrade infrastructure in hospitality, power generation, 5G telecommunications, and transport,” is the opinion by a global consultant.

“Qatar’s economy will not only be driven by the investments and rising tourist inflows during the World Cup but also from higher exports of fossil fuels amid the rising demand from European nations.” 

The number of international arrivals in the country is to rise by 162% over last year to 2.2 million in 2022. With a surge in tourist inflows and an increase in tourism spending during the World Cup, the wholesale and retail sectors are forecast to record a growth rate of 7.6%, whereas investments to upgrade roads, railways, and airports are expected to boost the construction sector by 7.3% in 2022.

In terms of potential ticket revenue, an estimated $360.3 million for Qatar across 64 games is due to be played during the World Cup. There are 27 active partnerships held by FIFA and the Qatar World Cup, out of which seven hold an estimated value of more than $100 million for the current rights cycle alone. The total sponsorship revenue from these 27 deals alone comes out at an estimated value of $1.7 billion.

Huge infrastructure investments have also opened millions of job opportunities in key sectors including construction, real estate, and hospitality.

The unemployment rate in Qatar to decline to 0.7% in 2022 from 1.8% in 2021. Rising employment opportunities are also expected to boost domestic demand and real household consumption expenditure is projected to rise by 6.3% in 2022 compared to 3.7% in 2021.

“Although Qatar is the first Arab nation to host the world’s biggest sporting event, which has demonstrated the region’s capability in hosting international events, several concerns including corruption scandals, terror financing, and human rights violation continue to remain a cause of concern towards the overall development of the economy.”

The data was provided by Global Data.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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