Qatar, which has welcomed almost 3.3 million visitors to its shores in the first eight months of 2024, is on track to log its highest-ever tourist numbers this year.

Last year, Qatar had welcomed more than four million visitors, the highest-ever number at the time. But until August this year, 3.284m people have travelled to Qatar, which translates to a 26% increase from the same period last year.

Industry experts estimate the total number of visitors this year to touch around 4.5m and rise even more to 4.9m by 2025, reported The Peninsula.

August 2024 saw 328,000 visitors coming to the country, up by 24%, from 264,000, in August 2023. The visitor numbers normally spike a lot in the last quarter owing to better weather conditions.      

Saudi Arabia remained the top country sending tourists to Qatar, with 0.943m people visiting so far this year. A total of 262,000 Indians visited Qatar while 150,000 visitors from Bahrain also came to Qatar. The bulk of other travellers came from the UK, USA, Kuwait, Oman, Germany, UAE, and China.    

Of the total international arrivals in August this year, 211,000 arrived by air, while 116,000 entered via the Abu Samra land border. Arrivals by sea are expected to pick up in the last quarter as the 2024-25 cruise season kicks off.

Easing and simplifying visit visa procedures through the Hayya platform was instrumental in the growth of Qatar’s tourism sector. The country allows visa-free entry to people from 102 nations. The rest can get e-visas through the Hayya platform.

World-beating performances by Qatar Airways and the Hamad International Airport (HIA) also aided in the tourism sector’s growth. 

While the national flag carrier flew over 40 million passengers and operated over 194,000 flights to over 170 destinations worldwide in 2023-24, the HIA served 48.7m passengers during the same period. 

HIA also witnessed a 23.7% increase in aircraft take-off and landing, with 265,597 movements in 2023-24.

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