Number of tourists to Qatar 2008-2021

According to the UN World Tourism Organization, the total number of overnight tourists to Qatar amounted to approximately 611 thousand in 2021. The previous year marked a significant decrease from 2.14 million tourists in 2019, reflecting the massive disruption in global tourism caused by the coronavirus outbreak since early 2020.

Amid the pandemic

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar first introduced its first travel ban early March 2020, within two weeks of the first confirmed coronavirus case in the country. Further intervention measures, such as social distancing, mandatory lockdowns, and border closures, while imperative in suppressing the spread of COVID-19, put a strain on Qatar’s travel and tourism industry and curbed its economic contribution to the country’s GDP in 2020. That year, Qatar recorded the lowest number of international tourist arrivals among the Middle Eastern countries, yet still managed to contribute a decent GDP share to the tourism sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Tourism on the recovery

As Qatar has reopened its borders for fully vaccinated travelers, the country’s tourism industry enjoys a brighter outlook and a projected steady growth for the next few years. As Qatar becomes the first Middle Eastern country to host the FIFA World Cup tournament in 2022, the entire country has been gearing up for this once-every-four-years event. With major infrastructure projects completed and underway, including stadiums, hotels, and attractions, Qatar expects to welcome more than one million visitors during the tournament in November and December 2022.