Hotel rooms are in short supply in Qatar – the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. But the country plans to provide accommodation to soccer fans wanting to travel there for the tournament by pitching tents…
Qatar is all set to host the FIFA World Cup at the end of this year in November through to December. Well, ‘all set’ might be the wrong way to describe things under the circumstances, but we’ll get to that.
As with any large sporting event, many are planning to travel to Qatar later this year; the Middle Eastern country is hoping to attract 1.2 million visitors during the 28-day soccer tournament.
But they’ve got a huge problem: they don’t have enough accommodation. Not nearly enough.
According to Qatar Tourism, there are just under 30,000 hotel rooms in Qatar. Omar Al-Jaber, head of accommodation at the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, has revealed that 80% of these rooms are already booked for FIFA players, referees, media and other official guests.
The solution? Al-Jaber has confirmed that Qatar plans to pitch 1000 “Bedouin-style” tents for soccer fans wanting to travel there for the World Cup. “We will give the opportunity for fans to live in a desert” as well as “an authentic taste of Qatari camping,” Al-Jaber said.
Al-Jaber also disclosed that 200 of the 1000 tents will be extremely luxurious and lavish, but these tents will have an “expensive” nightly rate.
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Other options for fans wanting to travel to and stay in Qatar for the World Cup will still include non-hotel accommodation; two cruise ships have been moored in Qatar’s capital, Doha and shared villas and apartments will be available for rent.
Ultimately, Al-Jaber is certain that Qatar will have enough accommodation for all soccer fans, and said, “In total, we have more than 100,000 rooms and still there are some new options [in the works].”
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