Tourism Breaking News
Qatar’s tourism sector kicked off 2025 with strong momentum, welcoming more than 1.5 million international visitors from January to March, driven by an integrated tourism strategy that combines major events, strategic partnerships and diverse tourism experiences that meet the aspirations of different visitors. Visitors from the GCC (36 per cent), followed by visitors from Europe (28 per cent) and Asia and Oceania (20 per cent) led the way, reflecting Qatar’s growing position as an attractive tourist destination in regional and international markets. Visitor arrivals were distributed by air (51%), land (34%) and cruises (15%), highlighting the effectiveness of Qatar’s diverse reach strategy. Eid Al Fitr 2025 recorded the highest tourist arrivals during the festive period in the past three years, with 213,500 visitors arriving over an eight-day period, an increase of 26% compared to 2024, and visitors from the GCC constituting 49% of the total visitors, recording an annual increase of 18%, while hotel occupancy reached 77%, recording an annual growth of 10%. This growth was accompanied by strong performance across the hospitality sectors, with average hotel occupancy reaching 71% and 2.6 million hotel nights sold, reflecting a significant increase in demand driven by key events such as the Qatar Web Summit, Doha Jewellery & Watches and Qatar International Food Festival.
H.E. Saad bin Ali Al Kharji, President of Qatar Tourism and Chairman of Visit Qatar, said: “The achievements of the first quarter of 2025 reflect the strength of our long-term strategic approach to developing the tourism sector. By deepening collaboration locally, regionally and internationally, we continue to diversify target markets, enhance visitor experiences, and cement Qatar’s position as a vibrant year-round tourism destination. We are delighted to welcome 1.5 million visitors in the first quarter and look forward to welcoming more visitors throughout this year.”
The State of Qatar affirmed its regional leadership in the tourism sector, by hosting the fifty-first meeting of the United Nations Tourism Organization Regional Committee for the Middle East, where discussions focused on harnessing Qatar’s strengths in the fields of sports, innovation, and infrastructure to drive sustainable tourism regionally. As part of its commitment to responsible development, Qatar is moving forward with the project to transform Khor Al Udeid into a premium desert tourism destination, which is based on the Tourism Master Plan, combining environmental conservation with nature-inspired experiences. To enhance the visitor experience, Qatar Tourism launched the ‘Taste of Qatar’ initiative in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Ipsos, with the aim of setting benchmarks and developing the country’s food scene to meet the aspirations of both residents and visitors.
Major events that promote the sector and elevate the global landscape
Doha Jewellery & Watches 2025 welcomed around 30,000 visitors and saw the participation of more than 500 luxury brands from Qatar and abroad. Sales of the exhibition exceeded QAR 246 million, a growth of around 10 per cent compared to last year. The first-of-its-kind Ras Brouq desert event attracted more than 55,000 visitors over 60 days, while Visit Qatar’s Sealine Season attracted more than 48,000 visitors.
The Qatar Shopping Festival 2025 also recorded records of more than QAR 120 million in sales, an increase of 50% over the previous year, and prizes worth QAR 2.5 million were distributed. The fourteenth edition of theQatar International Food Festival attracted more than 360,000 visitors, with the participation of 180 restaurants, including 28 international restaurants, while the “Eat First” festival welcomed more than 100,000 visitors, in the old Doha Port.
Continuous growth of cruise tourism
The 2024/2025 cruise season saw 87 ships received (a growth of 19% compared to the previous season), including 5 additional ships that made their first voyages to Doha Port, and 13 departures and closings. The number of cruise visitors during this season exceeded 360,000, an increase of 4% compared to the previous season. Transfer passengers – starting or ending their journey in Qatar – accounted for more than 10 per cent of total visitors, reflecting the country’s growing position as a major hub for cruise tourism in the region.
Global promotional campaigns promote awareness about the destination
Qatar continues to strengthen its global position in the tourism sector through a combination of media campaigns and global engagements in priority markets. In the first quarter, Qatar had a prominent presence at global platforms such as FITUR 2025, the Berlin International Travel and Tourism Exchange and the Mumbai Outbound Travel Show. In addition, Visit Qatar has strengthened its pause campaigns through media and marketing campaigns and expanded its media reach targeting key markets.
Regionally, media campaigns played a pivotal role in enhancing engagement and attracting visitors, particularly from the GCC, which accounted for 36% of total international visitors in the first quarter. Three key initiatives have had a strong impact, including the ‘Hala Bal Jar Al Ghali’ campaign during the holy month of Ramadan, the interactive TV show ‘Have fun and win’, and the Eid al-Fitr campaign ‘Eid Activities on Us’. These efforts have contributed to enhancing cultural communication and encouraging travel during key periods, contributing to record numbers of visitors during Eid Al Fitr 2025.
