(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Arsalan Altaf
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The Peninsula
Doha: Qatar continues to welcome record number of tourists and visitors this year thanks to country's simplified visa Regime and multitude of tourism offerings. According to latest figures released by Qatar Tourism, the country welcomed 317,000 visitors in July 2024. This takes the seven-month 2024 total to 2.956 million visitors, a 26.2 percent increase from the same period last year.
2023 saw the highest ever visitor arrivals of more than four million, which was up from 2.56 million in 2022. This year is on track to set a new record as the first seven months have seen more people visiting Qatar than ever before during the same period.
Saudi Arabia remains the top source country, contributing 0.86 million visitors this year so far. It is followed by India which contributed 238,000 visitors, while Bahrain stood third with 135,000 visitors. Other top source countries remained Kuwait, Oman, the US, UK, UAE, Germany, and China.
Of the total international arrivals in July, 189,000 came by air while 127,000 entered via the Abu Samra land border crossing with Saudi Arabia.
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Industry experts estimate the 2024 total visitors number to be around 4.5 million, and rise further to 4.9 million by 2025. Easing and simplifying the visit visa procedures through the Hayya platform has been instrumental in the growth of the country's tourism sector. Qatar allows visa-free entry to nationals of 102 countries, while the rest can get an e-visa through the Hayya platform.
Tourism has also emerged as a key sector as Qatar looks to diversity its economy and continue the growth. The country's tourism strategy is guided by Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.
The headline goals for the tourism sector under the strategy are to attract six million visitors annually and raise the sector's contribution to GDP to 12 percent by 2030. Last year, travel and tourism's GDP contribution grew by 31 percent to reach QR81.2bn, representing 10.3 percent of Qatar's total economic output. The sector also created more than 20,300 new jobs, taking the total to nearly 286,000 nationwide, representing one in every eight jobs across the country.
“Following its mega-event hosting successes, Qatar embarked on a journey to enhance its tourism infrastructure and diversifying attractions, which included the Hayya visa platform, airport expansion, and the development of destination resorts and cultural sites,” said Qatar Economy Watch 2024 issued recently by PwC Middle East.
These efforts aim at boosting the number of visitors by offering a mix of sports, culture, wellness, and sustainable travel experiences, aligning with national development strategies to broaden its tourism appeal and showcase its heritage.
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