World Cup hosts expected 1.2 million fans to flock in during group stages
\n DOHA
\nQatar received just over 765,000 visitors during the first two weeks of the World Cup, according to an organisers\u2019 report obtained by Reuters, falling short of the country\u2019s expectations for an influx of 1.2 million during the month-long event.
\nA huge surge in visitors at this stage is unlikely with only eight teams staying on in Doha, and eight games left out of the 64 in the tournament that began on November 20.
\nOrganisers had previously identified the peak period for international visitors to be November 24-28 during the busy group stage, when 32 teams were playing four matches every day.
\nThe December 7 report was prepared by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), which organises the tournament, and said that the first 17 days of the World Cup saw 765,859 international visitors, more than half of whom have now departed.
\nThe report registered 1.33 million match ticketholders and 3.09 million tickets sold across the eight stadiums in Qatar for the tournament that ends on December 18.
\nA Qatari official, who did not wish to be named, confirmed the figures. The SC did not respond to Reuters\u2019 requests for comment.
\nThe tournament in Qatar, the first to be held in the Middle East, is considered one of the most expensive in terms of tickets, hotels and alcohol, sales of which are restricted.
\nFewer international visitors than originally forecast led to an unexpected glut of accommodation but has also averted major over-crowding or traffic headaches in Qatar, the smallest country by both population and area to host the World Cup.
\nThe influx of visitors represents a 25% boost to the country\u2019s resident population of 3 million, of which only about 10-12% are Qataris.
\n\u201cWith over a week of competition still to go, a wave of new visitors has started arriving from the nations that made it to the quarter finals,\u201d the Qatari official told Reuters.
\nMore visitors are expected to flock to Qatar for popular matches and after the country lifted entry restrictions for nationals and residents of fellow Gulf states. Cumulative stadium attendance at the first 52 matches was 2.65 million, the document said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
World Cup hosts expected 1.2 million fans to flock in during group stages DOHA Qatar received just over 765,000 visitors during the first two weeks of the World Cup, according to an organisers\u2019 report obtained by Reuters, falling short of the country\u2019s expectations for an influx of 1.2 million during the month-long event. A huge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-300175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n