The Qatari government hoped to put the country on the international map as a tourist destination with the soccer World Cup. For the moment, however, tour operators are not registering extra bookings in the period following the championship, according to a survey by BNR.
The Arabian peninsula also hoped to reap the benefits of the billions invested in infrastructure after the World Cup. In London, for example, a large-scale advertising campaign has been launched in the hope of attracting tourists.
However, so far this has yielded nothing, tour operators tell BNR. Vliegtickets.nl sees the number of purchased tickets go back to the old level, for example. Travel agency Travix also noted that Qatar lags behind the Dutch in popularity. While the World Cup caused a spike in bookings, it didn’t last long. South Africa and Brazil have seen a sustainable boost from tourism since the World Cup.
“For flights departing from January to June 2023, we do not yet see any major peaks for Qatar,” a Travix spokesperson said. Middenoostreizen.com is also not seeing a big increase in the number of bookings for Qatar.
Organizing the World Cup is counterproductive
Stefan Hartman, affiliated with the European Tourism Futures Institute at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, believes Qatar’s tourism authorities view these developments with regret. “For Qatar, the World Cup is a prestigious event. This is such a gigantic project that profit matters in every way.’
According to Hartman, the country was not a natural vacation destination anyway. ‘The country is not very attractive to most tourists. Apart from a large football stadium that is there now and which will probably remain unused in the coming years, there is not much for the general public to experience.’
Image issues play a part in that, he says. “Never before have so many people died during the construction of a stadium during a World Cup. We have seen how the world and the world press have reacted to this. I doubt Qatar will be remembered as the country of a victorious World Cup or for violating human rights.’
Source: BNR
Andrew Dwight is an author and economy journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. He has a deep understanding of financial markets and a passion for analyzing economic trends and news. With a talent for breaking down complex economic concepts into easily understandable terms, Andrew has become a respected voice in the field of economics journalism.
