Why World Cup Qatar 2022 will be a win for the entire Gulf region

DUBAI: Even before the first football World Cup ever to be held in the Middle East kicks off in Qatar on Nov. 20, the entire Gulf region is counting on a massive boost to the air travel, tourism and hospitality industries.

An influx of 1.2 million visitors is expected to add $17 billion to the Qatari economy over the course of the eagerly awaited month-long tournament, when visitors pack into the nation’s hotels for the greatest sporting spectacle on earth.

However, there is one catch. Owing to Qatar’s small size, there is a limited amount of accommodation on offer — as few as 30,000 hotel rooms as of March this year — forcing fans to search elsewhere in the region. And the shortage is driving up hotel rates.

“Across the board, hotel rates are already three to four times higher, so you can already immediately feel the impact of the World Cup,” Qatari businessman Tariq Al-Jaidah told Arab News.

Al-Jaidah’s family business, Jaidah Holdings, owns W Doha Hotel & Residences, the first W brand hotel in the Middle East and North Africa. The group also owns and runs major luxury hotels across Europe, including The Gritti Palace in Venice, The Westin Excelsior and The St. Regis in Florence.

Al-Jaidah’s brother, Ibrahim M. Jaidah, group CEO and chief architect of the Arab Engineering Bureau and Ibrahim Jaidah Architects and Engineers, designed the Al-Thumama Stadium that will seat 40,000 spectators for matches up to the quarterfinal stage.

“There are so many milestones associated with it — as the first World Cup in the Middle East — and for many people it is a way of life to come and watch the matches,” said Al-Jaidah.

“To many on this planet it is a way of life and this time it is bringing them to a region many haven’t