Local Hotel Room Occupancy Reaches 71% in H1, Says Qatar Chamber Official

The number of hotel rooms in Qatar stood at 41,240 in the first half of the year, with an average occupancy of 71% during H1-2025, indicating that the demand for rooms totalled 5.23mn occupied nights over the same period, marking a 7% year-on-year increase.

Qatar Chamber board member Nasser bin Sulaiman al-Haider announced this during a meeting in Doha Sunday with an Austrian business delegation headed by Anni Lichtenegger, the director of the Travel Trade and Marketing Department at the Austrian National Tourism Authority.

Speaking at the meeting, al-Haider highlighted the significant growth of Qatar’s tourism and hospitality sector, noting that the accommodation and food services sector recorded a 13.8% increase, reflecting the rise in tourism activity across the country.

He added that preliminary data for H1-2025 indicated that Qatar welcomed about 2.6mn visitors, a 3% increase compared to the same period last year, with European countries accounting for 26% of the total visitors.

Al-Haider also highlighted the strong relations between Qatar and Austria, stating that trade exchange between the two countries amounted to about QR524mn in 2024, up from QR503mn last year, representing a 4% growth.

He emphasised the pivotal role of business owners in developing and boosting trade exchange through enhanced co-operation, partnerships, and the establishment of trade alliances.

Also present at the meeting were Austrian ambassador Erika Bernhard, along with a number of Qatari business owners and company representatives. The meeting discussed economic and trade relations between Qatar and Austria and explored ways to enhance them.

It also reviewed the investment climate and opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sector, as well as the key incentives and facilities offered by both sides to attract foreign investment.

Lichtenegger stated that the visit aims to promote various tourist destinations in Austria and to establish partnership agreements with Qatari business owners, as well as tourism and travel companies.

She added that Austrian companies are keen to develop co-operation with their Qatari counterparts and to attract Qatari tourists to new destinations in Austria, noting that the number of Qatari visitors to Austria has increased by 5% compared to previous years.

Bernhard emphasised the depth of relations between Austria and Qatar, noting that their ties have spanned 50 years and encompass all levels, particularly the commercial sector. She highlighted the remarkable development in trade exchange and the shared desire to expand co-operation further.

The ambassador said more than 60 Austrian companies are actively operating in the Qatari market, and that Austrian products enjoy the trust of the Qatari business community. She also commended the Qatar Chamber for its role in enhancing trade and economic co-operation and for bringing businessmen and the private sectors of the two countries closer together.