Qatar projected to attract 4.9 million visitors by 2025

Doha, Qatar: Qatar s tourism sector is developing in alignment with the country s strategic economic goals. Estimates suggest a substantial increase i...

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s tourism sector is developing in alignment with the country’s strategic economic goals. Estimates suggest a substantial increase in arrivals by the end of 2024 compared to the last year, indicating a buoyant trajectory.

Speaking to The Peninsula, Scott Livermore, ICAEW Economic Advisor and Chief Economist and Managing Director at Oxford Economics, highlighted how Qatar’s non-energy sector is expected to drive growth.

The projected expansion of non-energy sectors is broad-based, though there are several sectors where growth will likely outpace overall non-energy GDP growth, predicated on respective sectoral strategy plans. Tourism is among the sectors that will remain a driver of future growth, he noted.

The growth of the tourism industry mirrors the pivotal role that it plays within the Qatar National Vision 2030 economic framework which aims to broaden and enhance the economy through diversification and development efforts.

Livermore said, “Tourism numbers will likely settle lower in the near term due to seasonal factors and a break in events. Still, activity has been strong, with over 2 million visitors in January-April, up 35 percent on the same period in 2023. We continue to project 4.5 million visitors for the full year in 2024, rising to 4.9 million in 2025.”