A full month It will probably be the break you need to avoid going to Qatar. Except with the very strong motivation of attending a football World Cup match. The event, organised by FIFA, will take place from 21 November to 18 December.
This will not be easy, as it already seems that reception facilities reaching saturation point. Whereas Qatar Airways announces flight cancellations to reallocate them to destinations where football fans will be the most numerous.
Temporary suspension of flights and shuttles to surrounding towns
Akbar al-Baker, the company's CEO, has just indicated that 15 to 20 destinations should be affected. Until now, according to the Qatar Airways website, the three daily flights from Paris CDG are maintained. The measure will apply to flights to secondary destinations. But we are awaiting further details from the company.
Qatar is expecting to welcome 1.2 million visitors during the FIFA tournament. However, many regional visitors will only come for the day. Qatar is encouraging airlines from neighbouring cities to set up air bridges. The kingdom hopes to see some 180 additional flights a day.. Shuttles could link Doha to Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dammam, Dubai, Riyadh and Sharjah during the World Cup.
Accommodation solutions do exist, but at what price?
The most sensitive point is likely to be accommodation. Even if the country is doing its utmost to meet this challenge. During a briefing, Omar al-Jaber, who is responsible for accommodation for the World Cup at the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC-authority in charge of FIFA coordination), indicated that 80% of the 30,000 rooms available were already reserved for official delegations and FIFA guests.
If you look at the online hotel booking sites, they already indicate that there is no availability between 20 November and 19 December.
However, according to Reuters, FIFA will be releasing the rooms that teams, referees, media and other officials will no longer need as the tournaments progress.
For its part, the Qatar is increasing its range of non-hotel accommodation. According to the local media, two cruise ships to dock in the port of Doha. Villas and private flats for shared use would provide at least 69,000 rooms. Their management is entrusted to the Accor. A management agreement was signed last October between the country and the French accommodation giant. Accor is training staff to look after guests in these private housing units.
Omar al-Jaber also indicated that temporary prefabricated villages must be installed on empty plots of land, as well as a thousand tents in the desert. 200 of these would be luxury tents offering true Bedouin hospitality. The head of accommodation reassured the press that there should be more than 100,000 rooms available. But at prices that are probably prohibitive.
Exemplary behaviour
Finally, Qatar reminded us what it is: a strict country that does not joke about misbehaviour. The country will punish potential one-night stands. Just like drunken evenings. A police source told newspapers that ". For the first time in the history of the World Cup, a ban on sexual relations [editor's note: outside married couples] is in force. The culture of drinking and partying after matches, which is the norm in most places, will also be strictly prohibited. Fans must be prepared" .
Anyone found guilty of failing to comply with the rules laid down by the country's administration could be sentenced to a fine of prison sentence of up to 7 years. Let's hear it...
