Most star hotels in Doha reported full occupancy yesterday on the eve of the Asian Cup tournament, which kicks off today.
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There is increasing clamour among the visitors for budget hotels, but they are also expected to be full by today.
“We have only a few rooms left,” said an official from a budget hotel which was offering a room for QR375 a day with free breakfast. “Right now you can walk in and we will give you a room, but not tomorrow,” he added.
Hotel industry sources say most of their guests are Arabs. Saudi nationals are reported to have arrived to watch the Asian Cup in large numbers.
“Some of them have come in their cars,” said a source from the hospitality industry. But there are others who have even flown in with their families.
“We are booked 100 percent since Wednesday itself,” said a senior official of another star hotel who also didn’t want to be identified. He said most of his guests were Saudi nationals.
This is the season when hotels here are fully booked since business people come here in large numbers after Christmas, he said.
“Then, we have tennis matches going on, and now the Asian Cup starts tomorrow,” he said. “Most hotels are, therefore, fully occupied.”
Asian Cup 2011 officials said they had been getting “very good” response from overseas soccer fans arriving here to watch the tourney.
The visitors are facing no obstacles in obtaining visa on arrival at the Doha International Airport, said Hilal Al Mohannadi, marketing director of the Asian Cup.
“The on-arrival visa system introduced exclusively for the visitors who want to watch the tourney is working very well,” said the official. “Since the launch of the visa system we have been getting a number of applications from football fans from the GCC states, Iran, Iraq and several other Asian countries, including China and Australia,” said Al Mohannadi.
The easing of entry visa rules for expatriate residents of GCC countries a little before the start of the tourney has added to the rush of soccer fans, sources said.
“My husband landed from Dubai at 8.45pm on Wednesday but he wasn’t out of the airport before 10pm,” said an Indian housewife, talking of delays in immigration clearance due to the huge rush.
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