The Qatar Tourism Authority estimates that the Qatar tourism industry will reach $7.2 billion by 2025, based on the country seeing 3 million visitors in 2015 and expecting 4 million visitors by 2020.
The growing tourism industry is expected to increase tourism's GDP contribution within the next 10 years. Experts also expect significant investments for hotel pipeline, rail network and leisure facilities that will be useful for the tourism industry.
"Looking further ahead, this is expected to grow annually by 4.7 percent, to reach $7.2 billion in 2025, as Qatar works toward its strategic goal of positioning itself as a 'world-class hub with deep cultural roots,' by creating a high-profile product that will appeal to all market segments from cultural tourists and families to sports fans and business travelers," Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Exhibition Manager Nadege Noblet-Segers said.
This industry continues to grow as it reaches between $40 and $50 billion in sector investments under the National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 program. In the first nine months of 2014, there were 2.2 million visitors. In the larger picture, this means a year-on-year increase amounting to 7.7 percent. These growing figures mean that it’s important for the area to expand its tourism and hotel infrastructure network.
"As we are seeing in other GCC countries, an increasingly diversified tourism portfolio requires an equally broad hospitality offering, looking at both the luxury and mid-range categories, which is something that we are focusing on this year at ATM with midmarket travel our spotlight theme," Noblet-Segers said. "This is responding not only to the needs of the more budget-conscious traveler, but those for whom quality and experience-led travel doesn't necessarily have to mean a five-star price tag.”
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