Doha: The hotels in Qatar have completed all preparations to receive the visitors and fans of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 adorned with the tournament features in all their facilities amid the anticipation of complete work levels due to the upsurge of the numbers of tourists and visitors flocking to the country before and during the tournament that will start on November 20.
The hotels’ preparations reached the peak after they have mobilized their task and logistic forces to receive the most prominent football event, and accordingly the hotels’ booking processes registered high records while the time of the competition’s launch is approaching.
And the options of accommodation for the tournament guests vary between hotels with their wide range of categories and the apartment and residential units distributed across the country, in addition to the tourist ships that are set to provide over 5,000 floating hotel rooms.
The indicators unequivocally reflect the growth of the tourism and hospitality sectors in the Qatari market with an accelerating pace, as the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) had recently announced the provision of over 70,000 additional hotel nights for the guests during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, pointing out that fans can book the rooms whose prices start with USD 120 per night for one person in a combined room through Qatar 2022 Accommodation Agency platform.
The hotels’ categories allocated for the service of the tournament visitors vary from one star to five star and include a series of international hotels and others are local.
In the same context, the pace of residence and accommodation offers for the fans and Qatar visitors has increased taking into consideration that all pricing options and levels are available, as SC has called on the fans to regularly follow up Qatar 2022 Accommodation Agency platform where further hotels and thousands of additional rooms will be offered prior to the launch of the events of the first edition of the tournament in the Arab world and Middle East.
In addition, a few days before the start of the competition, Qatar Tourism revealed that it had opened more than 20 new hotels, parks and tourist attractions in the country, affirming that such projects and tourist landmarks will be ready to receive the fans, as the 2022 represents unprecedented year in the development process in the country, including its transformation into a global tourist destination, and aspiration to increase the number of visitors to 6 million visitors annually by 2030.
In addition, tourist expert Ali Sabry said that Qatar hotels are now ready to receive the visitors and fans of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, pointing out that the hotels are ready in terms of the rooms preparations and the provision of logistic needs ranging from food, beverages, to hygiene and sanitization kits, adding that the hotels have adequately trained their cadres to deal with the guests and fulfil their needs.
He pointed out that there is a cooperation and coordination between the relevant entities in the State of Qatar with respect to securing the logistic preparations and providing all hotels needs from foodstuff and other necessities to constantly supply them with all requirements at any time.
Regarding the price levels of the hotel booking, he pointed out that there is discrepancy in pricing, as per hotels’ classification and services included in the booking process, noting the gradation of the pricing value from one star hotel to five star, as well as the inclusion of complete services, breakfast, lunch, dinner by some hotels, in addition to the transportation service to and from the entertainment and tourist areas.
Ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 approach 3 million as the countdown to the tournament continues with Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, England, Mexico, UAE, Argentina, France, Brazil, and Germany leading the way.
Various accommodation options are now available on the official portal for accommodation reservations, including hotel rooms, apartments, villas, and fan villages, which include many entertainment options. Additionally, floating hotels, traditional boats, and holiday homes are available.
In the context of the availability of accommodation options, Executive Director of Old Doha Port Mohamed Abdulla Al Mulla said that the port would host three floating hotels during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with a capacity to host approximately 12,000 people. The reservation of these rooms can be done through the World Cup’s official portal for accommodation.
The floating hotels will arrive on November 10, 14 and 18. The number of rooms is being offered in succession through the official portal for accommodation, he added.
According to the data of the Planning and Statistics Authority for the past year, the number of hotels of all grades (five, four, three, two stars, and one star) amounted to 109 hotel facilities with 24,430 rooms, while the number of beds reached 37,789, and the number of guests reached more than 7.512 million guests, with tourism nights exceeding 8.957 million. The calculation of tourism nights was done according to the number of room occupancy.
Tourism expert Shadi Kassem said preparations had been under way for years and that the hospitality sector in Qatar was ready for the tournament. The hotels will work to meet the needs of the country’s guests of different nationalities and will highlight the flavour of authentic Qatari hospitality and Arab generosity.
In addition to the availability of amenities and distinguished services, each hotel has its own mark and identity in terms of contemporary designs, unique construction style, cultural depth, and originality, he continued.
Entertainment venues were not limited to hotels only, but new tourist attractions included entertainment venues, beaches and beach clubs, arts and culture houses, shopping stores, new resorts, shopping malls, museums and amusement parks.
The new landmarks and attractions launched this year come as part of a series of tourism projects to meet the needs of fans and visitors to Qatar from places of entertainment, housing, and shopping, in addition to the availability of food and beverage outlets.
A wide range of entertainment options have been selected and prepared especially for fans and visitors during the tournament, as the FIFA Fan Festival is planned in the Doha Corniche, which hosts up to 40,000 fans every day during the tournament and includes live matches, world-famous artists, distinguished football activities, various shows and fireworks.
Source: QNA