Airline bookings to Qatar surge during World Cup, especially from Dubai – News

Strong demand despite requirement to show negative Covid-19 test to enter country

Flight bookings to Qatar have surged due to the World Cup in November and December, with demand in the United Arab Emirates being particularly strong as fans grapple with a shortage of accommodation in Doha, a study showed on Tuesday.

Flight bookings to Qatar from the UAE and nine other countries are up 10-fold compared with pre-pandemic levels, according to travel analytics group Forward Keys.

From the UAE, there has been a 103-fold jump compared to 2016 – the last year before the UAE stopped direct flights into the country. Flights resume in early 2021.

“The UAE’s strong performance is due to a shortage of accommodation in Qatar,” ForwardKeys said, adding that many fans are expected to stay in Dubai.

Despite the requirement to present a negative Covid-19 test to enter Qatar, demand remains strong.

Air travel across the Gulf region will benefit, with flight bookings to the region 16% earlier than in 2019 and 61% earlier for the early stages of the World Cup, ForwardKeys said.

Fans will also travel to other destinations in the region, with a 16-fold increase in tourists staying at least two nights in Qatar and then another Gulf state compared to pre-pandemic.

American tourists made up 26 percent of such visitors, with Canadians second at 10 percent and Britons third at 9 percent.

“Dubai is by far the biggest beneficiary of this trend, accounting for 65% of follow-up visits,” ForwardKeys said.

Qatar Tourism reported that there were 31,123 hotel rooms in the country at the end of the first quarter.

Qatar World Cup organizers say world football’s governing body FIFA has booked 80 per cent of available rooms for players, guests and officials during the tournament. FIFA expects to place unwanted rooms on the market in the coming weeks.

Tourism data firm OAG said last week that Dubai has 115,000 hotel rooms and 25,000 rental apartments.

Qatar Airways and flydubai will work together to operate around 54 daily flights between Dubai and Qatar, compared with just six previously scheduled, OAG said.