Qatar Tourism Authority’s (QTA) Q1 2016 Tourism Performance report highlighted that throughout March 2016, Qatar welcomed a record 305,014 visitors – the largest frequency of visitors to visit the country in one calendar month.
Although the total number of arrivals in Q1 of 2016 (822,626) dropped by two per cent in comparison to the corresponding period in 2015 (due to a lower number of visitors from non-GCC Arab countries, the Americas, Europe and Asian), visits to Qatar by GCC nationals rose by 11 per cent 11 per cent, while visits by nationals from Other (non-Arab) African countries increased by seven per cent in comparison to the same period in 2015.
Adding to this, the number of international visitors entering Qatar on leisure visit visas (tourist visas, personal visit visas, family visit visas, and transit visas) jumped by six per cent in Q1 2016 in comparison to the same period in Q1 2015.
Chief tourism development officer, QTA, Hassan Al Ibrahim noted: “Qatar continues to attract a healthy number of leisure visitors, signifying the growing portfolio of tourism offerings, especially for visitors from the GCC who find Qatar a place where they can enjoy new experiences while benefiting from the comfort of shared language and heritage.
“This data offers us important insights as we step up our development and promotional efforts. It also helps us as we guide investors and work with our partners in the public sector on the expansion of Qatar’s leisure and business events offering, as well as the cruise industry,” he added.
Occupancy rates
Saudi Arabian nationals reportedly brought forth the most growth in arrivals from the region. When comparing to Q1 of 2015, arrivals of Saudi nationals increased by 16 per cent this year, while arrivals of UAE nationals increased by 14 per cent and arrivals of Bahraini nationals rose by two per cent.
United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has reported that Qatar is the only country in the Middle East region that has maintained consistent arrivals growth for over a decade. The country had registered a 3.7 per cent growth in annual arrivals in 2015, compared to 2014, and an average of 11.5 per cent growth over the past five years (2010-2015).
Meanwhile, accommodation occupancy rates are aligning more closely with global averages, with an average of 70 per cent for hotels and hotel apartments recorded for the quarter.
RevPar across the country’s accommodation portfolio declined by 20 per cent between Q1 2015 to Q1 2016, with hotels dropping by 21 per cent and hotel apartments by 14 per cent. However, the Total Revenue achieved across the accommodation sector has held stable between Q1 2015 and Q1 2016 (at -0.3 per cent), as heightened revenues from F&B and other sales has compensated for decreases in room revenues.
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