‘Eid in Qatar’ festivities in May drove a strong influx of visitors last month, with international arrivals at 166,000, the highest monthly figure so far this year. Of all visitors, those from Saudi Arabia constituted 40%, while the GCC overall made up more than half (54%). Supported by the easing of public health measures, the latest tourism performance data represents more than a quarter of all visitors welcomed over the first five months of this year. And capitalising on Qatar’s close proximity and ease of access, the proportion of total arrivals by land exceeded that of air for the very first time, with visitors opting to drive through the open and operative Abu Samra border. The latest data on visitor arrivals point to a steady recovery of Qatar’s tourism sector, with the year-to-date total (580 k) fast approaching the overall arrivals figure of 2021 (611 k). Furthermore, arrivals in May this year are 25% higher than that of May 2019, demonstrating a return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism as public health measures for travel ease. Commenting on the latest tourism figures, Chief Operating Officer of Qatar Tourism, Berthold Trenkel said, “Qatar has long been a popular destination for GCC nationals and residents, and we are delighted to witness the strong return of visitors from the region. Furthermore, while air travel remains a strong pillar of our tourism strategy, attracting visitors from all corners of the globe, we are pleased to see an influx of visitors leveraging Qatar’s multiple points of access and visiting Qatar via its land and sea borders.” He added, “2022 has been a pivotal year for the tourism sector and we’re excited to build on this growth …
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