World Cup to boost GCC tourism by 10%

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is expected to boost the value of the region’s hospitality and tourism industry by 10 percent, the secretary general of Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, has said.

The Gulf state, which is spending billions of dollars on infrastructure projects as it gears up to host the sporting event, said it expected the whole region to benefit from a surge in tourism.

“The World Cup would contribute 10 percent growth to the value of the region’s hospitality and tourism sectors,” Hassan al-Thawadi said, according to a statement.

The event’s committee has studied other successful models of hosting global sporting events, specifically the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, said al-Thawadi.

“Between 1981 and 1987 for example, the number of tourist arrivals to Barcelona was fairly stagnant at around 700,000. Barcelona’s journey has been an extremely successful one with the city now boasting one of the highest occupancy rates in Europe with approximately seven million visitors each year,” he said. 

The event is expected to bring the Middle East closer together, he added. Referring to the World Cup in South Africa, Al-Thawadi said: “This was very noticeable when Ghana was the only African team to qualify for the knock-out rounds. South Africans of all colours and creeds united with the entire African nation and gave their full backing to the Ghanaian team. The World Cup was Africa presenting a unified face to the world.”

Qatar has hosted a string of global sporting events in recent years as it moves to build its profile and accelerate its economic growth. The tiny Gulf emirate hosted the Asian Games in 2006 and the Asian Football Confederation’s soccer tournament in January.

The Gulf state, the surprise winner of the vote to host the 2022 World Cup by FIFA's executive committee last December, has been dogged by allegations of corruption in the bidding process. Qatar's bid team strongly deny any wrongdoing.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter in December said defended the choice to host the event in Qatar. “The 2022 World Cup will be in Qatar and I don't know who can change this decision,” he said. “I personally will intervene if FIFA executive members continue with such declarations (accusations). I understand about the incident in Australia but the case is closed now.

“The World Cup shall be accessible to all cultures and it was time ... to bring it to the Arab world,” he added.