How the 2022 World Cup is improving MENA infrastructure

Timon Singh

While this year's FIFA World Cup Finals may be being held in South Africa, countries in the Middle East already have their sights set on hosting the 2022 tournament.

Specifically Qatar has been actively bidding for the honour of hosting the football event and has reportedly set aside US$20 billion for tourism investments until 2013 in order to diversify its economy away from energy.

 

Qatar is already investing heavily in an ambitious US$36.6 billion metro and rail project that the emirate is hoping will increase its chances of hosting the World Cup, but the Tourism Authority has other plans up their sleeves.

In the next year, 40 new hotels with around 7,000 rooms are set to open, mainly in the luxury segment, while hotel rooms overall are expected to reach 15,000 by 2011. Other aspects of the country's infrastructure are also being enhanced to better support a tourism influx

Speaking to Arabian Business, Ahmed Abdullah al Nuaimi, chairman of state run Qatar Tourism Authority said, "Tourism was never looked at as a sector or industry that would be good for the country but now things have changed."

"We are talking about $20 billion of investment in five years, including infrastructure, hotels, airports, and ports, that support tourism."

However don't think that Qatar's focus on tourism is catering to the lowest common denominator; the authority's strategy is to focus primarily on cultural, sports, and educational tourism. In Nuaimi's words, "We are targeting the high end and business people" and "are targeting an increase of 15 to 20 percent in visitors yearly."

Infrastructure improvements

In order to cater for such an increase projects, such as Doha International Airport, are scheduled to open at the end of 2012. The US$14.5 billion hub will be able to cater for 25 million passengers with a later expansion in 2015 expected to increase this to 48 million.

Traditionally Qatar has been, like many other countries in the region, almost entirely dependant on energy exports for its economy. The emirate is currently the world's top exporter of liquefied natural gas, and is projected to grow 16 percent in 2010, with the state expecting a budget surplus of US$2.67 billion.

However the state is smart enough to know that its LNG wealth cannot last forever and as such as been diversifying the economy away from unsustainable energy and into other sectors such as transport.

With air traffic in the Middle East the fastest growing in the world, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai are all vying for control with new airport hubs and services.

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