BUSINESS
A boycott imposed by four Arab nations that accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism is squeezing the tourism sector and Doha's hotels which would normally be full in the Eid al-Fitr holiday have seen steep falls in their occupancy rates.
A boycott imposed by four Arab nations that accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism is squeezing the tourism sector and Doha's hotels which would normally be full in the Eid al-Fitr holiday have seen steep falls in their occupancy rates.
A Reuters survey of five major hotels found average occupancy was around 57 percent at the start of the Eid festival on Sunday which marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month when friends and families eat and pray together and take holidays.
"We're usually packed with Saudis and Bahrainis but not this year," a staff member at a five-star hotel said.
Aviation analyst Will Horton estimated Hamad International Airport, one of the Middle East's busiest, would handle 76 percent as many flights in early July compared with the same period last year, a loss of about 27,000 passengers a day.
The airport did not respond to a Reuters request for data on the impact of sanctions.
Visitors from the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council usually account for almost half of all visitors to Qatar. So a decision by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt to cut diplomatic and transport ties on June 5 hit traffic hard.
"Doha in early July, assuming the restrictions remain, will have less capacity than a year ago - a confronting figure for a region where every month sets year-on-year records," said Horton, senior analyst at Australia's CAPA Centre for Aviation.
There is no breakthrough in sight for the crisis in which the four Arab nations issued an ultimatum to Doha to close Al Jazeera television, curb ties with Iran, shut a Turkish base and pay reparations. A defiant Doha has denied accusations of supporting terrorism and says the demands are unrealistic.
AIR TRAVEL HIT
Hundreds of weekly flights to and from Qatar have already been cancelled because of the dispute. Hamad airport will lose fees paid by airlines and passengers, as well as terminal revenue from duty free shops and restaurants.
Air links suspended by the four Arab states represented around 25 percent of flights by state-owned Qatar Airways, one of the region's big three carriers.
Elsewhere in the tourist sector, hotels, restaurants and other facilities have had to find new sources of services and goods, in some cases, at higher cost, due to the boycott, said Rashid Aboobacker, senior director at TRI Consulting in Dubai.
"A substantial drop in visitor arrivals is likely to force hotel and real estate developers to re-evaluate their strategies and priorities, potentially causing delays to some of the ongoing (tourism) projects," he said.
Qatar's World Cup organising committee said sanctions had not affected preparations for the tournament and alternative sources for construction materials had been secured.
Qatar has said 46,000 rooms will be available to host fans by the time of the World Cup. In March, it had 119 hotels with 23,347 rooms, according to the tourism authority.
Developing business and leisure tourism is part of Qatar's drive to develop its economy away from reliance on oil and gas revenue. Doha aims to raise the tourism sector's contribution to GDP to 5.2 percent by 2030 from around 4.1 percent now, while raising the number of people employed by nearly 70 percent to 127,900.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
Amitabh Bachchan sparks major concern among fans with cryptic post, writes 'time to go'
Taylor Swift 'feels used' by Blake Lively, wishes she didn't drag her into Justin Baldoni case
Meet IAS officer who failed five times before cracking UPSC exam, cleared in 6th attempt with AIR...
Delhi Election Result 2025 Live Updates: Check full list of winners and losers in Delhi elections
Who is Kabir Bahia, Kriti Sanon's rumoured boyfriend who hid his face from paps
Delhi Election Result 2025: AAP's Arvind Kejriwal vs BJP's Parvesh Verma; key contests to watch out
Bank holidays in February 2025: Check if banks are open or closed on February 8?
Cristiano Ronaldo sends heartfelt retirement message to former Real Madrid teammate Marcelo Viera
Jeet Adani, Diva Shah are now married! Here's why their wedding was more than a mere celebration
IIT-BHU student gets highest package of Rs..., average package in 2025 is...
Music composer Anu Malik sells two Mumbai flats in Santacruz West for Rs..., co-owner is...
Jeet Adani and Diva Shah are now married; video of varmala ceremony goes viral, WATCH
Jeet Adani-Diva Shah wedding: Gautam Adani shares first pics of son's wedding, see here
Can Kejriwal win prestige battle? What are the key factors that dominated Delhi assembly polls 2025?
Subhash Ghai makes big investment, buys plush 4BHK apartment in Mumbai for...
Metovalex App Review 2025: Legit Or Scam Trading AI? - Real User Facts!
Deepinder Goyal's Zomato rebranded Eternal: Everyone has the same question
Thief gifts Rs 3cr house to girlfriend, everyone shocked after...
Who is Meghnad S? YouTuber and journalist who contested Delhi assembly polls 2025 from...
Does Sanya Malhotra's 'Mrs' promote a no-marriage culture among women?
BIG blow to Sundar Pichai as Google loses Rs 17501260000000 due to…
Caring for Ageing Parents? Essential tips to manage health, finances, and well-being
Jeet Adani-Diva Shah wedding: Inside pics from Gautam Adani's son's wedding festivity
Meet Gautam Adani’s daughter-in-law Paridhi Adani: Know about her assets, career, family, and more
Why has Premanand Maharaj stopped his morning yatras at 2 am?
Sonu Sood BREAKS SILENCE on arrest warrant against him in fraud case: 'It is sad that celebs...'
Akshata Murty once confronted her father and Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy: 'My real dad is...'
Meet Alexis Wilkins, Trump's FBI chief pick Kash Patel's 'mystery girlfriend,' her profession is...
Fire breaks out at Mahakumbh Nagar camp, officials say no casualties reported so far
Who is Mohini Mohan Datta, mystery man set to get Rs 500 crore through Ratan Tata's will?
Cristiano Ronaldo makes shocking statement, breaks Portugal's hearts: 'I never thought about...'
Ludhiana court issues arrest warrant against Sonu Sood in fraud case
Happy Rose Day 2025: Significance of different coloured roses on Day 1 of Valentine's week
Salman Khan REVEALS why he avoids eating beef and pork: 'Main maanta hu meri maa...'
Shah Rukh Khan-Saif Ali Khan vs Aryan Khan-Ibrahim Khan: Who should be in KHNH2!
Why Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu gifted Donald Trump golden pager? It is a reference to...
Mob in Bangladesh destroys ousted PM Sheikh Hasina's family home
ISRO's EOS-06 satellite captures Phytoplankton concentration on global scale
IND vs ENG: Will Virat Kohli play in 2nd ODI vs England? Shubman Gill provides huge injury update
Who is Kiran Chaudhury? PCS officer caught in bribe case, just 4 years after posting
Jeet Adani-Diva Shah's wedding today: Know venue, gifts for guests and more
Meet woman, who works in Rs 163000 crore company, daughter of Hyderabad’s richest man
This is world's greenest railway station, 170 years old, home to over 7,000 plants, it's in....
As Sky Force nears Rs 150 crore, Nimrat Kaur treats househelp, her kids with movie screening