The festivities hosted by Qatar in May have proven to be a big boon for the country’s visitor arrival figures. The unique events and offerings under ‘Eid in Qatar’ have driven a significant influx of visitors. The international arrivals in May exceeded 166,000, marking it as the month with the highest number of visitors in 2022.
Furthermore, the figures represent more than a quarter of all visitors welcomed over the first five months of this year.
In a statement on Saturday, Qatar Tourism said the latest data on visitor arrivals point to a steady recovery of Qatar’s tourism sector, with the year-to-date total (580,000) fast approaching the overall arrivals figure of 2021 (611,000), demonstrating a return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism as public health measures for travel ease.
In keeping with the strategic focus of festivities held in May as part of ‘Eid in Qatar,’ more than half (54 percent) of all arrivals in the month originated from the GCC, with visitors from Saudi Arabia leading international arrivals during the month.
Capitalizing on Qatar’s close proximity and ease of access, the proportion of total arrivals by land exceeded that of air for the very first time, with visitors opting to drive through the open and operative Abu Samra border, the statement added.
Commenting on the latest tourism figures, Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism Berthold Trenkel said the data demonstrates that the recovery strategy is working.
He said air travel remains a strong pillar of the tourism strategy attracting visitors from all corners of the globe.
“We are pleased to see an influx of visitors leveraging Qatar’s multiple points of access and visiting Qatar via its land and sea borders,” Trenkel said.
He added that 2022 has been a pivotal year for the tourism sector and we’re excited to build on this growth as we enter the summer season, we are confident that the tourism sector will perform well during this time, as visitors enjoy the range of activities that can be found around the country, from musical performances to retail offers and one-of-a-kind museum exhibitions, and which are in keeping with the country’s values and traditions.
