Unrest in Arab countries is seeing Qatar tourists change their summer holiday destinations to Dubai and Europe, according to an industry expert.
There has been an overall growth of around 50 per cent in tourist movement towards Europe compared with the corresponding period last year and a sharp decline in tourist movement towards Jordan and Egypt, according to local sources. Far Eastern destinations such as Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong are also proving popular.
The decline in numbers is also thought to be, in part, because of the relatively short summer holiday this year, with Ramadan beginning as soon as the summer holiday ends. The Middle Eastern crisis has also diverted tourist flow towards Dubai, amid a noticeable gain in popularity thanks to the fall in hotel rates and packages.
