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The Dubai Sports Council estimates around one million fans will arrive in the city during the World Cup in Qatar
Dubai is preparing to set up fan zones in parks, beaches and financial centers and offer special World Cup packages at hotels. (AFP)
The UAE did not qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, but it would be a winner anyway if fans flooded its hotels, restaurants and planes.
If, as expected, supporters choose to stay in the tourist hotspot rather than smaller Gulf neighbor Qatar during the November-December tournament, the UAE, with little investment in Dubai in particular, stands to gain.
High accommodation prices in Qatar’s capital Doha and a more relaxed environment in Dubai could attract fans, experts say.
Budget carrier flydubai operates at least 30 daily flights to and from Doha, which is just an hour away, as part of a daily shuttle service of 160 flights from the resource-rich Gulf city.
The Dubai Sports Council estimates that around one million World Cup fans can arrive in the city.
Dubai is preparing to announce fan zones in parks, beaches and the financial hub, while hotels are offering special packages.
Such deals include shuttle flights and transportation to airports and fan areas.
The UAE is also offering multiple-entry visas to World Cup match ticket holders for a nominal fee of 100 dirhams ($27).
world cup commuter
Visiting fans won’t be the only World Cup commuters in Dubai. Firas Yassin, a Franco-Lebanese living in Dubai, booked a day trip to watch France’s opener after being “shocked” by the prices of hotel rooms in Doha.
Yassin will fly in with his wife five hours before the game against Denmark on November 26 and leave a few hours after the final whistle as he fulfills a lifelong dream of watching “Les Bleus” live.
“I’m going to visit the city, watch the game and then go back to my residence in Dubai,” the 34-year-old told AFP.
Expat Sport, which is licensed by FIFA to sell match hospitality packages for the Doha game, pointed to “convenience” as a key factor for people choosing to stay in Dubai.
It cites “scheduled shuttle flights operating between the two cities with a flight time of only one hour”.
A Dubai hotel on a man-made frond-shaped palm island will be entirely dedicated to football fans.
“There has been a surge in bookings from Mexico, the UK, Europe and India,” Expat Sport said. “Rooms are fast for overnight stays and we expect to be booked up at this rate.”
The UAE’s hotel occupancy rate this year is already more than 40% higher than in 2019 due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, and “strong tourism performance” is expected this winter.
As of May, Dubai had 769 hotels with more than 140,000 rooms, a significant increase from early 2019, official figures show.
Shuttle flights will also depart from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Oman to ease accommodation in Doha, a city of 2.4 million people.
But Dubai does have an advantage over other Gulf states, as it has become a major tourist destination.
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