Qatar’s World Cup Prep and the Quest for a Lasting Tourism Experience
Photo Credit: A huge building in the form of a torch located in the middle of Doha in Qatar. Officials are hoping all its investment ahead of the World Cup will pay off permanently for a bright tourism future. Getty Images / autau
Skift Take
Qatar has made strides since my last visit a year ago, with more of a cultural pulse, less friction for guests as large-scale hospitality and infrastructure projects come online ahead of the World Cup. Officials are hoping once the players leave the pitch for a final time in December Qatar will have earned its credentials as a lasting tourism fixture in the region.
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.I last checked in on Qatar's World Cup progress about a year ago. I found Doha to be a city careening towards a very hard deadline, while also working out supply chain kinks with Covid, and some friction with guest experience getting in and out of the country. As I reported at the time, I could squint and see the bigger picture, and the larger strategic building blocks that were being put into place, amidst the construction dust, new hotels, and infrastructure coming online.
I flew in again a few weeks ago, out of sheer curiosity. My final approach into Hamad International revealed a more sophisticated skyline, particularly in the northern part of Doha, in Lusail. I saw more cultural touch points throughout the city like M7, a center for innovation and entrepreneurship in design, fashion and tech. There were more cafes like Kitsune and Toby's Estate Coffee, scattered around the Mandarin Oriental in the Soho-feeling Msherib development. Per the demands of the tournament, t
