Doha third in region for hotel project activity
Report finds Qatari capital trailing only Dubai and Riyadh, with 14 new properties set to enter the market next year
Doha is the third busiest city in the Middle East and Africa for hotel construction and has 41 projects and 11,722 rooms in the pipeline, according to a new report.
The Qatari capital’s biggest year for hotel openings is projected to be 2017 in the Doha Hotel Construction Overview report prepared by TOPHOTELPROJECTS for The Hotel Show, Dubai 2016. The report also reveals that only Dubai and Riyadh are ahead of Doha in the region, with 133 and 47 projects respectively.
According to the report, 14 new properties will enter the Doha market next year, including Pullman Doha West Bay (468 rooms), JW Marriott West Bay (297 rooms), Hilton Garden Inn Doha Al Sadd (225 rooms), and Millennium Plaza Doha (232 rooms).
“According to the Qatar Tourism Authority, three million people visited Qatar in 2015, and they are aiming to attract four million tourists per year by 2020,” said Francois Kassab, chief operating officer, Millennium & Copthorne Middle East & Africa, in a statement from The Hotel Show.
“The plans are part of the country’s efforts to boost tourism GDP contribution over the next decade, supported by $40-45 billion worth of investment under its National Tourism Sector Strategy 2030. Qatar is working to position itself as a world-class hub with deep cultural roots, by creating a high profile product that will appeal to all market segments, from cultural tourists and families to sports fans and business travellers.”
The hotel group’s five-star Millennium Plaza Doha development will be among those opening in 2017, he added.
The Hotel Show, a regional platform for the hospitality industry and its professionals, will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from September 17-19 and see TOPHOTELPROJECTS present on development hotspots in the Middle East and Africa, including Doha, in a panel discussion on September 18th at the event’s annual Vision Conference.
