Why World Cup fans may choose Dubai or Oman – looser dress codes and alcohol rules – and fly to Qatar on the day for matches
- The 2022 World Cup host nation is conservative about dress and drinking, and short of hotels. Many football fans will stay in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman
- With more than 90 extra flights a day to the Qatari capital, Doha, being laid on to fly fans in on match days, Dubai looks likely to be the biggest winner
Qatar is gearing up for a football World Cup tourism boom as the tiny Gulf state prepares to welcome more than a million soccer fans. One complication: many of them can’t or won’t stay there.
An accommodation squeeze and low tolerance for alcohol and partying in the conservative Muslim nation means tens of thousands of fans will base themselves in nearby countries for the month-long tournament.
Match-day flights from major Middle Eastern cities will shuttle spectators to games, benefiting airlines, hotels and hospitality venues across nations including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Oman.
The already popular tourism hub of Dubai, the most populated city in the UAE, stands to benefit the most. Of the more than 90 new flights that will land each day in the host city, Doha, about 40 will leave from the UAE.
Football fans like to have a lot of fun and I think there’s a lot of hesitation about Qatar as a country
A new hotel built on an artificial, palm-shaped island has been set aside for guests who plan to base themselves in Dubai and take the 40-minute flight to Doha, with streamlined immigration procedures.