1.4 million visit Qatar in H1 665,355 GCC nationals in first half
Date
8/14/2016 4:28:20 AM
By Raynald C Rivera
DOHA: Qatar received 1.4 million visitors in the first half of the current year, a drop of six percent from the same period last year due to Ramadan, according to a report released by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) yesterday.
Tourist arrivals, however, are expected to increase, driven by this month";s Qatar Summer Festival (QSF) and the cruise season that starts in October, said QTA.
This year";s Ramadan, which began early in June compared to mid-June last year, impacted arrivals in the second quarter. But August performance is expected to be supported by the month-long festival designed to attract visitors at a traditionally off-peak period in Qatar";s hospitality and retail sectors with promotions and events.
'Visitor arrival figures should see a further increase in Q4 as the 2016-17 cruise season begins in October.
'Thirty-two ships have registered to dock at Doha";s ports and are expected to bring over 50,000 visitors on board, a 10-fold increase from last year. 'This growth will continue as QTA and its partners set in motion plans to redevelop Doha Port, creating an attractive stop for cruise ships in the Gulf,” said a QTA spokesperson.
QTA";s Tourism Performance Summary for the First Half of 2016 shows GCC nationals comprise a big chunk of tourists representing 46.1 percent or 665,355 of the total. This represents a seven percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Saudi Arabia remains the largest source market and is responsible for the bulk of the growth recorded in the number of GCC visitor arrivals, bringing to Qatar 39,650 additional visitors, representing 10 percent of growth.
Some additional substantial growth was evident from the UAE (13 percent) while arrivals from Bahrain also increased marginally by one percent.
Top five tourist arrivals outside of the GCC was led by India at 12.7 percent followed by the UK (4.7 percent), the US (3.5 percent), Egypt (3.3 percent) and Pakistan (1.8 percent).
Hotel occupancy and average room rates were lower compared to the same period last year.
Occupancy rates in the tourist accommodation sector was down 15 percent from the first half of last year, with an average of 64 percent occupancy recorded across all hotels and hotel apartments in the first half of the current year.
The drop was generated in part by a 10 percent net increase in the number of available rooms, as four new properties have opened their doors since the end of June 2015.
Average room rates (ARR) across all hotels and apartments was QR500, and revenue per available room (RevPAR) was QR319. Similar to usual trends, the highest ARR and RevPAR levels continue to be achieved by the 5-Star and Deluxe Hotel Apartment classes.
'The overall declines in visitor arrivals and occupancy are consistent with trends seen across the region. 'As economic conditions improve and the number of travellers rises again, we are determined to be ready with tourism products that can retain leisure visitors, and increase the average length of stay of business visitors.
'We are actively engaged on many fronts in line with the Qatar National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030 to develop a sustainable tourism sector, including efforts to encourage investment in tourism, boosting cruise tourism, and expanding international promotional activity,” said the spokesperson.
The Peninsula