Tourism & Sports
From The Report: Qatar 2019
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The 2016 slump in oil prices led the Qatari government to identify industries with high growth potential in a diversified economy. Tourism was among the sectors prioritised due to the opportunities presented by infrastructure investment and major events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The sector’s promising performance comes amid the backdrop of a regional blockade led by Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries. Efforts to diversify source markets – especially important as prior to the blockade tourism in Qatar was dominated by travellers from the GCC – have also led to an increased number of visitors from countries such as India, Russia and China. Altogether, these factors bode well for the future of the tourism sector in Qatar. This chapter contains an interview with Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Opening doors: Investments in business tourism and diversified source markets lead to a recovery in visitor numbers
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The 2016 slump in oil prices led the Qatari government to identify industries with high growth potential in a diversified economy. Tourism was among the sectors prioritised due to the opportunities presented by infrastructure investment and major events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The sector’s promising performance comes amid the backdrop of a regional blockade led by Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries. Efforts to diversify source markets – especially important as prior…

Overview

Meeting expectations: Security and engagement key to further growth in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry
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Aided by easier and cheaper travel, global tourism has experienced two decades of almost uninterrupted growth. According to the World Bank, the number of international departures more than doubled between 1997 and 2017, from 687m to 1.57bn per annum. With the global middle class estimated by the US-based think tank Brookings Institution to be expanding by as many as 160m people per year, it is perhaps unsurprising that almost half of the growth in tourist numbers was accounted for by departures from low- and middle-income countries, which advanced from 121m in 1997 to 564m in 2017. There was also significant growth in the number of arrivals…

Overview

Meeting expectations: Security and engagement key to further growth in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) industry
OBG
plus

Aided by easier and cheaper travel, global tourism has experienced two decades of almost uninterrupted growth. According to the World Bank, the number of international departures more than doubled between 1997 and 2017, from 687m to 1.57bn per annum. With the global middle class estimated by the US-based think tank Brookings Institution to be expanding by as many as 160m people per year, it is perhaps unsurprising that almost half of the growth in tourist numbers was accounted for by departures from low- and middle-income countries, which advanced from 121m in 1997 to 564m in 2017. There was also significant growth in the number of arrivals…

Overview

Full pelt: Infrastructure investment and business partnerships are supporting the country’s rise to become a major international centre for sports events
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As part of its strategy to achieve economic diversification, Qatar has made the promotion of the sports industry a major development goal. Indeed, the achievement of sports excellence forms an explicitly stated objective of the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). The country has played host to major international sporting events for over a decade, with its first significant breakthrough coming in 2000 when the Olympic Council of Asia awarded Doha the right to host the 2006 Asian Games.…

Interview

Eye on the prize: Hassan Al Thawadi, Secretary-General, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), on sustainable infrastructure
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Interview:Hassan Al Thawadi How will efforts to ensure environmental and economic sustainability shape the organisation, design and visitor experience of the 2022 FIFA World Cup? HASSAN AL THAWADI: Building a sustainable legacy has always been a key component of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar; a legacy of human, economic and environmental development for Qatar and the region. To achieve this, all of our venues offer something to the communities around them to ensure their continued use, both…