Ticket sales for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has evoked a strong response from Indians, Berthold Trenkel, Chief Operating Officer, Qatar Tourism, said.
In a media interaction, Trenkel stated that Qatar is all set to welcome Indians who will travel to watch the World Cup. The mega event will be held across eight stadiums in Qatar in November and December this year.
Excerpts:
Response in India to World Cup ticket sales
Indian ticket sales have been very strong. India has not qualified for the World Cup, but Indians love football. Previous World Cups were held in far away places like Brazil. Qatar, however, is not far from India (which makes it easier to travel). Everyone now watches football in India, and everyone has a favourite team.
Visa for Indians
From a tourism standpoint, we want an easy visa process. For the World Cup, visitors from every country will need a visa. But the visa is tied to your football ticket and hotel booking. If you have these two items, the visa will be automatically processed.
Tourist activities around the World Cup
We have lots of different activities planned in the museums, with a special focus on Qatari culture. There are a lot of fan festivals, which include music concerts and DJ nights. We are looking at having 280 music artists perform over the duration of the World Cup.
Tourist numbers expected for the World Cup
The Supreme Committee expects around 1.5 million tourists for the World Cup. A lot depends on which country advances to the next round. For example, if Saudi Arabia advances, you can imagine a lot of their fans coming over to Qatar. If a far away country — with less connecting flights — advances, then we will have fewer numbers.
( The author was in Doha on invitation from Qatar Tourism)
