The ongoing activities of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup have considerably increased the number of visitors to Souq Waqif and Expo 2023 Doha among other places of interest across the country.
Local Arabic daily Arrayah reported that the AFC fans have flocked to Souq Waqif to celebrate and cheer their teams, especially those from the GCC countries and Iraq among other Asian nationalities. The restaurants and eateries spread across Souq Waqif have been experiencing excellent business over the past few weeks that remind them of the boom that happened during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Besides, all the other shops at the Souq have the same experience reporting excellent sales in all categories that cover souvenirs, clothes, and other items.
A number of shop owners and operators there pointed out that the largest number of visitors is from among the Saudi fans, followed by the Omani, the Kuwaiti, the Bahraini, the Emirati and the Iraqis besides visitors from the Arab and Asian expatriates in Qatar. They said that the shops and restaurants are open until late hours in the night. The peak of work at the Souq according to a number of sellers and service providers starts from very early morning until noon, when the numbers of visitors drop and resume starts to peak again from around 3 pm until midnight. One café manager stressed that his café serves around 1,500 customers a day during this period. Before at regular times, he used to receive an average of 300 customers a day.
Meanwhile, most sellers pointed out that they have kept the prices and service charges as is and have not increased any of these to encourage more customers to come and enjoy the unique atmosphere and surroundings of Souq Waqif.
Similarly, the International Zone at Expo 2023 Doha have attracted an increasing number of GCC visitors, who highly praised the high level of organisation of the exhibition and the various interesting activities and events there. They have also expressed their appreciation for the efforts exerted by the State of Qatar to provide tourists and visitors with all the possible means of convenience and entertainment to help them experience a memorable time in the country. Besides the fans of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, some GCC families have preferred to come to Qatar to spend the mid school year holidays. In particular, they enjoyed visiting Katara the Cultural Village Foundation, the Pearl Qatar, Lusail, and other landmarks in the country.
