Doha, Qatar: Qatar is on track to log the highest ever tourist numbers this year, having already welcomed nearly 3.3 million visitors in first eight months of the year.

Last year, Qatar welcomed more than four million visitors, the highest figure at the time. The first eight months of 2024 saw 3.284 million people visiting the country, a 26 percent increase from the same period last year.

Industry experts estimate the 2024 total visitors number to be around 4.5 million, and will rise further to 4.9 million by 2025.

August 2024 saw 328,000 visitors, up 24 percent from 264,000 in August 2023. The visitor numbers are usually higher in the last quarter of the year due to pleasant weather conditions.      

Saudi Arabia remains the top source country, contributing 0.943 million visitors this year so far. It is followed by India which contributed 262,000 visitors, while Bahrain stood third with 150,000 visitors.

Other top source countries remained the UK, United States, Kuwait, Oman, Germany, United Arab Emirates, and China.    

Of the total international arrivals in August, 211,000 came by air, while 116,000 entered via the Abu Samra land border crossing with Saudi Arabia. 

Arrivals by sea are also expected to pick up in the last quarter as the 2024-25 cruise season starts.

Easing and simplifying the visit visa procedures through the Hayya platform has been instrumental in the growth of the country’s tourism sector. Qatar allows visa-free entry to nationals of 102 countries, while the rest can get an e-visa through the Hayya platform.

Record number of tourists have also been drawn to Qatar due to its multitude of tourism offerings throughout the year.

The tourism sector’s growth has been aided by the world-beating performance by Qatar Airways and the Hamad International Airport (HIA). 

The national flag carrier flew more than 40 million passengers and operated over 194,000 flights to over 170 destinations worldwide during the 2023/24 financial year ending on March 31.

HIA served 48.7 million passengers in the same period,  showing a 27.5 percent increase compared to the previous fiscal year. 

Airport cargo operations also increased by 7.5 percent, with 2.4 million tonnes of cargo handled. HIA also witnessed growth in aircraft take-off and landing, with 265,597 movements in 2023/24 — a 23.7 percent increase from the previous year.