Qatar to be MidEast's top tourism performer in 2012.
Qatar is set to see the fastest growth in tourism this year, with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) forecasting 13.2 percent growth.
Qatar eyes near-70% rise in hotel rooms supply.
Qatar's tourism sector is likely to see a near-70 percent growth in hotels, the largest in the Middle East and Africa, latest STR Global data has showed. Among the countries in the region, Qatar reported the largest expected growth (up 69.9 percent) if all 7,340 rooms in the country’s total active pipeline open. Qatar is looking to dramatically expand its tourism offering as it starts to look ahead to hosting the World Cup in 2022.
Qatar begins hotel frenzy, 6,000 new rooms delivered.
More than 6,000 hotel rooms came online in Qatar in the third quarter of 2011, as 25 properties and 10 hotel apartments entered the market, the country’s ministry of tourism said. The gas rich Gulf state is building 77 new hotels and 42 hotel apartments ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2022, in a bid to accommodate a flurry of tourists and football fans.
Qatar named world's richest country in new rankings. Qatar has been ranked as the world's wealthiest country in a new list compil
d by US magazine Forbes, with the UAE placed sixth. The Gulf emirate of 1.7 million people topped the list as the world’s richest country per capita thanks to a rebound in oil prices and its massive natural gas reserves. Adjusted for purchasing power, Qatar booked an estimated gross domestic product per capita of more than $88,000 for 2010, Forbes said, compared with $47,500 for the UAE.
Qatar's stake in Britain.
The tiny Gulf state has snapped up a range of famous British assets, which include:
1. Harrods, the upmarket department store former owned by Mohamed al-Fayed.
2. The Shard, soon-to-be Europe's tallest building.
3. No 1 Hyde Park, the world's most expensive block of flats.
4. The London Stock Exchange, which they own a 20 per cent stake.
5. Camden Market, which they own a 20 per cent stake.
6. The Olympic Village, once the games are over.
7. Sainsbury's and Barclays banks - major investors.
8. Liquefield Natural Gas, Britain's biggest supplier.
