Qatar is continuing to reap the benefits of hosting the Arab world’s first-ever FIFA World Cup last year. The mega sporting event gave Qatar unprecedented publicity and the number of visitors has shown a steady increase since its end.

According to the latest Air Transport Statistics released by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA), the country welcomed 3,516,939 air passengers in March, thus registering a healthy 25% increase year-on-year. The country had seen 2,813,043 passengers arriving in Qatar in March 2022.

إحصائيات النقل الجوي خلال شهر مارس 2023

Air Transport Statistics for March 2023#الطيران_المدني #الدوحة #قطر #doha #qatar #aviation pic.twitter.com/4fRoUlaxdA

— الطيران المدني (@CAAQATAR) April 12, 2023

The QCAA noted that aircraft movement recorded in the country in March grew 12.9% year-on-year, totalling 19,561 flights, compared to 17,320 in the same time period last year. 

However, cargo and mail showed a 5.2% decline, going down from 217,676 tonnes in March 2022 to 206,276 tonnes this year.

Earlier, it had been reported that the number of passengers registered for the months of January and February had been the highest on record since the start of operations of the Hamad and Doha International Airports.

The trend of Qatar’s growing attraction among travellers has been consistent. The numbers were even more impressive in February, with 15.6% more aircraft movement in the country from a year ago (15,121 to 17,479). The number of passengers also increased by 49.4% year-on-year (from 2,168,266 to 3,240,117).

إحصائيات النقل الجوي خلال شهر فبراير 2023

Air Transport Statistics for February 2023#الطيران_المدني #الدوحة #قطر #doha #qatar #aviation pic.twitter.com/Mf7u0E0TwQ

— الطيران المدني (@CAAQATAR) March 20, 2023

Visitor arrivals measure non-residents travelling to Qatar on a short-term basis for all purposes. It includes arrivals at borders under different visa classes, including all businesses and leisure visa types excluding work visas.

While the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 attracted over 1.4 million visitors, the country has been doing a lot to sustain the momentum and attract more tourists to the country.

When Qatar Tourism organised a host of family-friendly activities including musical performances, shows and exhibitions under the banner ‘Feel Winter in Qatar,’ thousands of people flocked to it. And the ‘Feel Eid in Qatar’ campaign is expected to attract a lot more people in the coming days.

A host of other events are also being planned to strengthen Qatar’s position as a leading global tourist destination, attracting six million visitors annually by 2030. The larger aim is also for the country’s tourism sector to contribute around 12% to the country’s GDP by the end of the decade.

A lot of investments have gone into building the Hamad International Airport (HIA) into one of the best in the world.

Its efforts were rewarded earlier this year after it was chosen as the Middle East’s Best Airport by Skytrax for the ninth year in a row.

The HIA also underwent some major expansions in recent times, setting up an indoor tropical garden called the ORCHARD along with new lounges and exclusive retail outlets.

Qatar Airways, the country’s premier airline, had recently become the Global Partner and Official Airline of Formula 1, considered the pinnacle of motorsport, until the 2027 season.

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