50% Rise in tourist inflow to Qatar

The number of foreign tourists visiting Qatar has surged 50 percent in the current tourism season compared to the previous one and the number of ships carrying tourists anchored at Doha seaport increased from five in 2011 to 14 in 2012, a local tourism operator said. "The tourism season starts in October, but this year tourists began pouring into the country in September," Qatari English daily (The Peninsula) quoted Emad Abu Jalala, Chairman of Gulf Adventures Tourism Company, as saying. "The local tourism sector is booming and attracting huge numbers of foreign tourists," he added. The hospitality sector is working to keep pace with the fast development of tourism sector, according to the Qatari newspaper (Al-Sharq). Demand in the hospitality sector is increasing and it witnessed at least 20 percent growth last year, said a hotel manager.