Qatar’s visitor numbers for 2023 crossed four million, topping annual visitor numbers of the past five years.
The rising numbers are a reflection of the positive momentum of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the country’s ongoing efforts and initiatives to promote tourism, said Qatar Tourism.
Qatar’s open travel policies offer visa on arrival for citizens of 95 countries and last year, the country year announced the seamless operation of its Hayya platform to unify and simplify visa processes for travellers who require a visa.
In addition, Qatar’s year-long calendar of events and captivating marketing campaigns have helped increase the tourism figures.
Saad Bin Ali Al Kharji, Chairman of Qatar Tourism, said: “Qatar continues to demonstrate its appeal as a global tourism destination with its expanded tourism infrastructure, safety, and authentic Arabian hospitality. Qatar’s diverse tourism offering, with its 500 km of pristine coastline, world-class museums, cultural and contemporary destinations, combine to make for a unique and compelling holiday that can be tailored to suit travellers from the region and internationally. New developments in Qatar’s tourism sector are ongoing, creating even further opportunities for growth.”
Visitors from Saudi Arabia accounted for the highest number of arrivals (25.3 per cent of total international visitors), followed by India (10.4 per cent), Germany (4.1 per cent), UK (3.9 per cent) and Kuwait (3.5 per cent). About 85 per cent of visitors arrived by air, followed by land (14 per cent), and sea (1 per cent).
In October of last year, Qatar inaugurated the first international debut of the Geneva international Motor Show, which saw 1,000 journalists and 180,000 visitors over 10 days. It also launched the 2023/24 cruise season which welcomed 81 cruises and 350,000 passengers, making it the country’s biggest cruise season yet.