Business & Money | Sunday 9 October, 2016 3:19 pm |

Qatar has received 2.182 million visitors so far this year, with visits of GCC nationals continuing to increase in September, a Qatar Tourism Authority report has shown.

 

The growth in year-to-date (January to end of September) visitor arrivals from the GCC was dominated by visits from nationals of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which increased by 8% and 17% respectively, compared to 2015. Visits from Bahraini and Kuwaiti nationals were up as well by 3% and 2% respectively; while visits from nationals of Oman and were down by 5%. Overall, year-to-date arrivals from the GCC region grew by 7% compared to the same period in 2015.

Meanwhile, visitors entering the country on the Qatar-Oman tourist visa increased by 2% year-to-date in comparison to the same period in 2015. Visitors who are nationals of the Americas also increased by 5% between January and September 2016 compared to the same period in 2015.

September witnessed the week-long Eid in Qatar Celebrations, a festival which typically draws families from around the region. The number of Saudi visitors alone reached over 100,000 during this month. 

As Qatar welcomes its first cruise ship on October 18, carrying tourists from 45 countries, QTA projects further modest increases in visitor arrivals during the current month.