According to Qatar Tourism (QT) figures, visitors from GCC countries made up 43% of total arrivals during the third quarter, while other Arab countries accounted for 7%. International visitors to Qatar increased by 26% during the third quarter compared to the same period last year. The GCC continued to be the largest source of visitors, followed by Europe. Arrivals from Europe represented 22% of total visitor numbers, with 6% coming from the Americas, 20% from the rest of Asia and Oceania, and 2% from the rest of Africa.

The average hotel occupancy rate year-to-date through the third quarter was 66%, a 23% increase in demand since 2023. Room nights sold also rose by 26% compared to the previous year. Of all visitors, 39% entered the country by land, 54% by air, and 7% by sea.

In the five-star hotel segment, the supply of keys was 19,324, resulting in an average occupancy rate of 60.5%, up from 49.5% in the third quarter of last year. The four-star hotel segment offered 7,430 keys, with an average occupancy rate of 66.6%, compared to 51.1% in the same period last year. The 3-1 star hotel segment had 3,027 keys and an average occupancy rate of 81%, increasing from 73.7% in the third quarter of the previous year.

The hotel apartments segment provided 10,119 keys, with an average occupancy rate of 72%, compared to 56.8% in the third quarter of the prior year. The total supply of keys during the third quarter was 40,053, resulting in a total average occupancy rate of 65.9%, up from 53.7% in the third quarter of last year.

Qatar has continued to experience record tourist numbers this year, welcoming more than 3.6 million visitors so far. Qatar Tourism statistics show 3.599 million visitors in the first three quarters of 2024, a 26.1% increase compared to the same period last year. Qatar recorded its highest-ever figure of four million visitors in 2023, up from 2.56 million in 2022 (the World Cup year). Visitor numbers have shown strong growth in recent years, continuing the trend after the decline in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. September 2024 saw 315,000 visitors, a 27% increase from 247,000 in September 2023.

Industry experts estimate the total number of visitors in 2024 to be around 4.5 million, with a further increase to 4.9 million projected for 2025. Visitor numbers are typically higher in the last quarter of the year.