Skyscanner shares travel insights...

The UAE is the biggest origin country for football-related bookings to Qatar, followed by the UK and Japan

With just over a month to go until the International football spectacle kicks off on 20 November 2022, leading travel company Skyscanner has shared some data on the number of bookings for travel to Qatar.

The data reveals the top source markets travelling to Qatar for football and the increase in bookings to UAE and Saudi Arabia during this period, known as the Halo Effect.

According to the findings, the UAE is the biggest source of football-related bookings to Qatar for the duration of the tournament, followed by the UK and Japan.

Dubai has been identified as the top destination for onward travel to Qatar during the global event, reflecting how local and international football fans are using the UAE as a travel hub en route to the event.

Global bookings to the UAE during the international sporting event have increased steadily since the beginning of the year, increasing in September by 114% compared to the previous month.

Top booking origin countries for travel to Qatar during FIFA World Cup:

United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Japan
South Korea
Spain

Top booking origin cities for travel to Qatar during FIFA World Cup:

Dubai
London
Tokyo
Seoul
Madrid

The research also identified that Qatar is surging in popularity this year in terms of travel bookings. This is most notable for countries with teams taking part in the World Cup with bookings from South Korea up 410% and USA up 327%.

Bookings to Qatar from the wider GCC region have also increased significantly, up 270% from the UAE and 59% from Saudi Arabia this year, as result of increased domestic demand and international football fans travelling to Qatar.

Ranking	Origin Destination	Increase in bookings to Qatar in 2022
1.	South Korea	+410%
2.	US	+327%
3.	UAE	+270%
4.	Spain	+263%
5.	France	+158%
6.	Germany	+139%
7.	Netherlands	+106%
8.	Saudi Arabia	+59%
9.	UK	+50%
10.	Italy	+45%

The wider GCC region is also seeing an uplift in travel bookings this year, as part of the halo effect of the global football event, with bookings from Brazil to UAE up 125% and from Netherlands to Saudi Arabia up 220%.

Ranking	Origin Destination	Increase in bookings to UAE in 2022
1.	Brazil	+125%
2.	Austria	+113%
3.	Netherlands	+92%
4.	United States	+63%
5.	Poland	+56%
6.	Spain	+47%
7.	Mexico	+44%
8.	Germany	+40%
9.	Portugal	+43%
10.	Belgium	+31%

Ranking	Origin Destination	Increase in bookings to Saudi Arabia in 2022
1.	Netherlands	+220%
2.	Germany	+186%
3.	France	+144%
4.	Italy	+132%
5.	UK	+136%
6.	Australia	+65%
7.	Spain	+64%
8.	Switzerland	+55%
9.	Morocco	+50%
10.	United States	+40%

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Commenting on the findings, Skyscanner Travel Expert Ayoub El Mamoun said: “As football fans count down to the kick-off, our flight data shows the global impact of the event with bookings to Qatar soaring this year as football fans travel to support their teams. We’ve seen bookings to Qatar from South Korea surge by 410% and bookings from the US increase by 327% this year compared to 2019.

“The halo effect of the Qatar global sporting event is clear with a booking uplift across the wider GCC this year too with bookings to Saudi Arabia from the Netherlands up 220% and bookings to the UAE from Brazil up 125% in 2022 compared to 2019.

“Looking at bookings to Qatar for the duration of the sporting spectacle, the UAE is the top origin country, reflecting the UAE’s role as a key travel hub, followed by the UK, Japan and South Korea as the countries with the most dedicated supporters.”

For more information, visit www.skyscanner.ae