Record tourist numbers this year in Qatar with most visitors from Saudi Arabia, followed by India

With over 3.6 million visitors so far this year, Qatar is continuing to witness record levels of tourists. In the first three quarters of 2024, the country had 3.599 million visitors, according to data published by Qatar Tourism. Compared to the same period last year, this is a 26.1 percent increase. 

In 2023, Qatar received four million visitors, the most ever, compared to 2.56 million in 2022, the year of the World Cup. Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in the number of visitors. Following the decline brought on by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the trend has persisted.

315,000 people visited in September 2024, a 27% increase from 247,000 in the same month the previous year. 

According to industry experts, the overall number of visitors is expected to reach 4.9 million by 2025, up from an estimated 4.5 million in 2024. 

The most common source of tourists to Qatar is still Saudi Arabia. The neighbor, brought in 1.029 million tourists during the course of the nine months, accounting for 29% of all visitors to Qatar this year.

India came in second with 297,000 visitors during the first three quarters,  with 161,000. The United States, Kuwait, Oman, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, China, and the United Kingdom continued to be the top source nations. India accounted for 8% of all visits, while Bahrain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Kuwait, and Oman each contributed 4%. Two percent came from China, while about two percent each came from Germany and the United Arab Emirates. 

In September, 110,000 foreigners entered through the Abu Samra land border crossing with Saudi Arabia, while 203,000 arrived by air. Through the maritime ports, about 2,000 tourists arrived in Qatar. With the commencement of the 2024–25 cruise season, maritime arrivals are also anticipated to increase in the final quarter.