Tourism, Culture & Sport
From The Report: Qatar 2020
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Tourism is one of the most promising prospects for growth as Qatar aims to shift its economy from one dependent on hydrocarbons to one that is more diversified and sustainable. Efforts aimed at attracting visitors from a wider range of countries, international marketing campaigns and liberalised visa reforms have helped the sector maintain momentum despite the blockade. The 2022 FIFA World Cup will be an opportunity for the country to show off its culture, heritage and architecture to not only the 1.5m fans in attendance, but the 3.4bn-strong television audience as well. It will be necessary for the authorities to leverage this attention to encourage individuals from near and far to visit and enjoy the country’s diverse set of offerings.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Maintaining momentum: Diversified offerings such as archaeological sites, museums and medical facilities help drive visitor arrivals
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Tourism is one of the most promising prospects for growth as Qatar aims to shift its economy from one dependent on hydrocarbons to one that is more diversified and sustainable, and less susceptible to commodity price fluctuations. Between 2020 and 2030 tourism is expected to add over 100,000 jobs and contribute over $20.3bn to GDP. In October 2019 the capital city of Doha was forecast to have the fastest-growing visitor arrivals among major cities between 2018 and 2025, according to Euromonitor,…

Overview

From check-in to check-up: Public initiatives and rising foreign investment are supporting the emergence of a dynamic medical tourism industry
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Medical tourism is on the rise across the world, driven by the increasing cost of health care services in many developed economies, coupled with falling costs for international travel. The global market was valued at $16.8bn in 2018 and at the time was expected to grow to $27.2bn by 2024. While disruptions to international travel triggered by the global spread of Covid-19 in early 2020 could delay this acceleration somewhat, the underlying fundamentals are robust. Patients are choosing to visit other countries for a broad array of both essential and elective medical procedures, with fertility tourism representing one of the fastest-growing…

Analysis

On track: Improvements to infrastructure and hospitality position the country as a destination for international sporting events
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While much public focus is on preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, a number of government and private sector initiatives are laying a foundation for Qatar to become a global centre for sporting. Under the guidance of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030), the country is building a sports event management and research centre as part of its economic diversification plans. Leveraging this expertise and experience, Qatar aims to become a world leader in hosting major sporting events. Such…