(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Arsalan Altaf
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The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: Qatar continues to see record tourist numbers this year, having already welcomed more than 3.6 million visitors so far.
According to statistics released by Qatar Tourism, the country saw 3.599 million visitors in first three quarters of 2024. This is 26.1 percent more than the numbers in the same period last year.
Qatar logged the highest ever figure of four million visitors in 2023, up from 2.56 million in 2022, the World Cup year. The visitor numbers have been witnessing strong growth for the last few years. The trend has continued after the slump in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
September 2024 saw 315,000 visitors, up 27 percent from 247,000 in Septmeber 2023.
Industry experts estimate the total number of visitors in 2024 to be around 4.5 million, and rise further to 4.9 million by 2025. The visitor number are usually higher in the last quarter of the year due to pleasant weather conditions.
Saudi Arabia remains by far the top source country for visitors to Qatar. The neighbor, the only country sharing land border with Qatar, contributed 1.029 million visitors in the nine-month period, making up 29 percent of total visitors to Qatar this year.
Saudi Arabia is followed by India which contributed 297,000 visitors in the first three quarters, while Bahrain stood third with 161,000 visitors. Other top source countries remained the UK, United States, Kuwait, Oman, Germany, United Arab Emirates, and China. Percentage-wise, 8% visitors have came from India and 4% each from Bahrain, the UK, United States, Kuwait, and Oman. Roughly 2% each originated from the United Arab Emirates and Germany, and 2% travelled from China.
Of the total international arrivals in September, 203,000 came by air while 110,000 entered via the Abu Samra land border crossing with Saudi Arabia. About 2,000 visitors entered Qatar via the sea ports. Arrivals by sea are also expected to pick up in the last quarter as the 2024-25 cruise season starts.
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. Record number of tourists have also been drawn to Qatar due to its multitude of tourism offerings throughout the year.
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