Travel

Qatar welcomes 2.614 million visitors in first nine months of 2026

GCC travellers accounted for 40.9% of arrivals, while September visitor numbers edged up from a year earlier.

Gulf Good News6 Oct 2026 · 4:09 pmAbout 1 min read

Travellers beside wooden boats on a waterfront promenade

Qatar welcomed 2.614 million international visitors between January and September 2026, according to Qatar Tourism figures reported by Qatar News Agency on 6 October.

Travellers from the GCC formed the largest regional group, with 1.069 million arrivals accounting for 40.9% of the total over the nine-month period.

Asia and Oceania contributed 548,000 visitors, or 21%, while Europe accounted for 538,000 arrivals, representing 20.6%. Together, these figures show the mix of regional and longer-distance travel behind Qatar’s visitor numbers.

In September alone, the country received 276,000 visitors, compared with 273,000 in the same month last year. Qatar Tourism reported a year-on-year increase of 1.1% for September.

Source: Qatar News Agency, citing Qatar Tourism, 6 October 2026.

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