Doha Quickly Comes of Age Ahead of World Cup 2022
Photo Credit: Doha is playing host to the World Cup 2022, and regions of the city like West Bay (pictured) are anticipating a surge of visitors. Flickr / ilirjan rrumbullaku
Skift Take
The World Cup is a forcing factor for an incredible amount of change in a short time for Doha. Qatar has succeeded in opening up a bit, bringing culture and hospitality front and center, and drawing from interesting global references. But as the country careens toward its deadline, it also needs to make sure the customer experience of getting into the country is up to standard.
On Experience
Colin Nagy is a marketing strategist and writes on customer-centric experiences and innovation across the luxury sector, hotels, aviation, and beyond. You can read all of his writing here.Qatar appears in the public consciousness as a bit of an abstraction, a mirage in the desert. You’ll see the capital, Doha, pop up as a mention in political negotiations, or more recently as a leading figure in the humanitarian evacuation of Afghan citizens during the fall of Kabul. But if you canvas a range of Americans, there will be a loose name association with Qatar, if anything, or a faint recollection of an oil and gas-rich place or an airbase for past conflicts.
But the reality is Doha is undergoing a rapid pace of change. It is a place of ambition and capital, careening toward a deadline for the 2022 World Cup, starting in November. It is a place balancing conservatism with the modernity and culture required to become a global city, and the interplay is fascinating to watch.
I’ve been coming to Doha since around 2008. My first forays were stopover trips: a spin through the IM Pei-designed Museum of Islamic art, the obligatory visit to the Souq and p
