Tourism in Qatar between Crises and Opportunities: From the Blockade through the FIFA World Cup (2017-2025)

Abstract

Qatar’s tourism sector has faced both shocks and opportunities since 2017, driven by the 2017  blockade on Qatar, the COVID-19 pandemic, the FIFA World Cup 2022, and, most recently, the Iranian and Israeli strikes. The paper evaluates policy and scholarly literature from 2017 to 2025 to identify research trends and governance strategies for resilience and crisis management in Qatar's tourism sector. Content analysis was conducted across multiple academic databases and government reports to triangulate findings.  The results show that since 2017, tourism diversification and sustainability have improved, with mega events acting as key drivers and precursors to Qatar’s broader tourism objectives.  The results typically underscore the importance of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third Qatar National Development Strategy (2024-2030) in improving sports performance and promoting cultural tourism, thereby enhancing the visitor experience. The subsequent policy implications suggest governance decisions focused on market diversification and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE), alongside improvements in sustainability and digitalization. The paper establishes the future agenda for investigations from a longitudinal perspective, aiming to understand crisis management and resilience, as well as the pathways towards decarbonization and heritage management amidst rapid urbanization.