International arrivals in Qatar at 5-year high in September, with Saudi topping the list

The international arrivals in Qatar during September saw a rise to a five-year high, reaching 151,000 visitors. The events that were held in the country during the month of September, starting with the Lusail Super Cup on September 9 to the multi-day celebrations that took place in honour of the KSA national day towards the end of the month played a crucial part in arrival of tourists in mass numbers.

Arrivals from the GCC made up 44% of total international arrivals, led by Saudi Arabia which accounted for nearly 30% of total figures. Qatar continues to provide multiple points of access and the latest data shows 56% of visitors choosing to arrive by air, 37% by land and 7% by sea. 

The busy month kicked off with a showdown between Al Hilal SFC and Zamalek SC at the Lusail Super Cup, where more than 77,500 fans witnessed the inauguration of the impressive Lusail Stadium, the venue of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final match.  Fans were also treated to a spectacular concert by Egyptian superstar Amr Diab. 

Qatar Tourism (QT) organised a weekend of special events and promotions to mark Saudi National Day, toward the tail end of the month. With border activations at Abu Samra and special promotions at top hotels and leisure destinations, Qatar and Saudi Arabia celebrated the deep bond shared between the two nations. 

Visitors could also take inspiration from Qatar Calendar, which featured a wide array of events from classical music performances by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra to art exhibitions at multiple museums.

Qatar’s active calendar has seen the country’s tourism sector mark a strong recovery this year, with more than 1.1 million travellers preferring Qatar as their destination of choice so far this year, up from 611,000 in 2021. 

With quarantine restrictions fully lifted in September, total rooms nights stood at 4.7 million, on par with 2019 pre-pandemic levels and a significant achievement considering the prolific growth of supply that has taken place.