A real madness took over the fans who go to Qatar to stay. The situation limits the most surprising: from Floating Hotels, Luxury Cruises, Containers, or even rooms for 26,000 euros a night.
The 2022 Soccer World Cup, which starts on Sunday in Qatar, represented a challenge for the tiny nation of just over 2.9 million, having to welcome the more than 1.5 million people who will arrive in the emirate in the four tournament weeks. 🇧🇷 It doesn’t seem like an easy task, as the area of Qatar barely exceeds 11,500 square kilometers.
The principality’s current offer of accommodation is limited to just over 300 hotels, a far cry from the 300 five-star hotels in Paris or the 3,000 registered four- and five-star hotels in Spain.
The organization expects that more than 1.5 million visitors, half of its population, will arrive in its territory in the coming weeks, which is why, in addition to traditional hotels, very diverse accommodation options have proliferated, such as hotels and tourist apartments. villages, huts, camps and even shipping containers.
The organizers called for calm and assured that there would be options for all visitors in an unprecedented challenge for a country that has not faced such a tourist movement in its entire history. Therefore, it offers a variety of options for all budgets, from €84 in bunk beds in containers to more than €26,000 per night.
Organizers say 2.89 million tickets have been sold for the 64 games, which will be held in eight stadiums. The greatest demand was among audiences in Qatar, the United States, Saudi Arabia, England, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina, France, Brazil and Germany.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has collected in its basic indicators about Qatar that in 2020 it had 132 installations, a number that, although it has managed to increase in recent years, reaching 300 registered today, still lacks a large welcome number. . One of the fans who will travel to participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which will be held for the first time on Arab soil.
Thus, the small Gulf country sought the most creative solutions to alleviate the housing shortage. The official website of the World Cup accommodation agency displays a complete list that ranges from traditional hotels, cruise ships, apartments and tourist villas, vacation homes, sailboats, tighter budgets, cabins and camps.
Among the most striking accommodations are the “containers” built close to some stadiums, such as Stadium 974, closer to the port, which are also designed with these structures.
These containers are one of the cheapest options for this event, the cost per night is around 200 euros. About 6,000 fan villas were built 6 kilometers west of the airport. They offer the option of a double or twin room with a private bathroom, which sleeps two people. Amenities in each cabin include tea and coffee making facilities, 2 bottles of water a day, refrigerator, bedding and bath towels. The facilities also include several power points.
There is also the option of staying in apartments and private villas, as well as hotels, many of which are five stars under the umbrella of international chains such as Marriott. This is where prices rise the most, costing more than 4,000 euros a night for the simplest rooms, reaching 26,000 euros for the most luxurious suites.