The leisure sector in Qatar has been doing well so far this year in terms of visitor numbers and occupancy rates following the momentum gained from hosting the spectacular sporting event last year.
After a successful football season in the city we are off to a great start for 2023 at Marriott Marquis City Center Doha and Marriott Executive Apartments City Center Doha, said Cyril Mouawad the General Manager of both properties.
He said despite many hotel openings in the city during 2022, they are in a very strong position in performance to close quarter 1, 2023 with firm occupancy and revenues.
“We are blessed with a great location steps away from DECC (Doha Exhibition and Convention Center), shopping malls, public transport, and various city attractions,” he said adding that the properties had benefited from various sporting and government groups in the quarter such as tennis, fencing, golf, UN conference groups through government authorities to highlight a few.
He said that the apartments for long stayers are seeing a steady growth in occupancy to reach pre-football season levels by September.
He said the property continues to deliver world-class guest experiences aligned with international standards blended with local culture and traditions which ensure unique and memorable experiences during every stay. Our team makes a difference with excellent customer service by going above and beyond to ensure every guest is valued, appreciated, and welcomed. With several events planned this year, we anticipate closing the year with stronger business performance similar to pre-pandemic period.
In-Q Enterprises WLL, GM Phil Lawrie said the Doha market has become extremely competitive and challenging. Nevertheless, our distinct locations at Qatar Museums and offerings in collaboration with partners such as Michelin-starred chefs Alain Ducasse and Tom Aikens, allow us to stand out.
“We are passionate about delivering diverse culinary experiences in unique locations such as the Museum of Islamic Art and National Museum of Qatar – all carefully crafted with customer delight in mind,” Lawrie said.
Saraya Corniche Hotel Director Operations Bryan Patac Tambis said that the hotel has been performing quite satisfactorily in the first three months this year though some expected the hotel sector to be bad after the FIFA World Cup.
“There was a good pick-up from the Saudi Market for the month of February and March and currently the hotel is running at around 74 percent month to date and 61 percent year to date,” he said.
The number of inbound visitors reached about 389 thousand, recording a monthly increase of 14.3 percent in February this year (compared to January) and it recorded an annual increase of 406.3 percent (compared to February 2022).
The highest number of visitors was from the Gulf Cooperation Council at 38 percent. As for visitors by type of port, the visitors via Air make up the highest percentage with 44 percent of the total number of visitors.
Revenue from the tourism sector rose by 70.3 percent in 2022 to QR26.4bn while the sector aims at increasing its contribution to the GDP from seven to 12 percent by 2030 wooing around six million visitors annually.
