Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s hospitality and tourism sector witnessed a strong boost as hotels across all segments saw increase in occupancy rates on yearly basis. Among the hotels, two and one star hotels recorded the highest occupancy rate in July this year, according to the National Planning Council (NPC) data.

The occupancy rate of two and one star hotels surged by 90 percent in July 2024 compared to 83 percent in July last year, leading to increase in hotel visitors and guests.

The hotel and hotel apartments in Qatar witnessed overall occupancy rate being at 58 percent in July 2024. The hotels of all categories, ranging from five star to two and one star, have seen rise in occupancy rates, according to the data.

The three star hotels occupancy rate jumped to 75 percent in July 2024 against 71 percent in July 2023. Similarly, the occupancy rate of four star hotels reached 60 percent in July this year, while it was 50 percent in July 2023. In case of five star, the hotels’ occupancy rates stood at 51 percent in the review period.

The occupancy rates of deluxe hotel apartments and standard hotel apartments for July this year were 69 percent and 49 percent respectively.

Qatar’s legacy of hosting renowned events — such as the FIFA World Cup, the Geneva International Motor Show, Formula 1, Web Summit, Qatar Economic Forum, and many others  has solidified its position as a global destination of choice. These events not only attract international attention but also leave a lasting impact, showcasing Qatar’s capabilities and enhancing our tourism offerings.

There was also rise in revenue per available room which is used to assess a hotel’s ability to fill its available rooms at an average rate. It is important because it helps hotel industry measure the overall success of their hotel.

Comparing on a yearly basis the revenue per available room for five star hotels stood at QR277 in July 2024 while it was QR119 in case of four star hotels; QR116 in three star; and QR113 in two and one star hotels. The average room rate for deluxe and standard hotel apartments rose to QR229 and QR108 respectively in July this year.

The data further revealed that the average room rate for five star hotels showed an increase of QR546 and incase of four star hotel it reached QR198, while the overall hotel and hotel apartment average room rate was QR375 in July 2024.

Since the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar’s tourism sector has experienced significant expansion and development. New districts like the Qetaifan Islands have emerged, and new hotels and attractions have opened. These include the Meryal Waterpark and Our Habitas Ras Abrouq.

Qatar received over 2.6 million international visitors in the first half of 2024, registering an increase in arrivals by 28%, compared to the first half in 2023. A total of 2639,000 international visitors arrived in Qatar in the first half of this year.