Superyacht rentals, private jets and a soccer-themed hotel: Dubai is cashing in on the Qatar World Cup

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Qatar is not the one nation getting a large increase in tourism due to its internet hosting of the 2022 World Cup. 

The neighboring United Arab Emirates is ready to learn from the wave too, with its glitzy industrial capital of Dubai set to see an estimated 1 million extra guests through the course of the soccer event, based on the Dubai Sports Council.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, in August known as Dubai “the major gateway” to the World Cup and predicted it might see extra vacationers than Qatar itself.

And the town is pulling out all of the stops, leveraging its repute as a hyper-modern metropolis extra liberal and built-out than Qatar and promoting the extravagant vacationer sights it is developed a repute for. 

Dubai is thought for over-the-top and outlandish experiences — like its indoor ski slope advanced within the desert, the world’s deepest man-made plunge pool, the world’s tallest constructing and largest Ferris wheel. It’s now added particular World Cup-themed experiences, concurrently making the most of the truth that Qatar, a tiny nation of three million folks, is struggling to accommodate all its anticipated vacationers and plenty of of them will choose to lodge in Dubai for the matches as a substitute. 

This has been made doable by “match day air shuttles” being operated by Qatar Airlines and Dubai-based low-cost provider FlyDubai– permitting vacationers to guide same-day round-trip flights from Dubai or close by Oman to attend a match in Qatar and return in lower than 24 hours.   

“Only an hour away from Qatar by flight, Dubai is a familiar destination for global travelers,” Taufiq Rahim, a analysis fellow on the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government, advised CNBC. “Its tourism infrastructure and straightforward entry requirements make it a convenient base for World Cup fans.”

Qatar is anticipated to have delivered 45,000 resort rooms in complete by the beginning of November, based on Cushman & Wakefield Qatar, with event lodging “bolstered by cruise ships, camping facilities, apartments and villas.” Dubai, in the meantime, as a metropolis has greater than 140,000 resort rooms, based on resort information agency STR. 

Around the UAE’s completely different emirates, 43 fan zones for watching matches have been arrange, with a number of the greatest – like Budweiser’s official BudX fan zone in Dubai Harbor – sufficiently big to host 10,000 followers every day with matches aired on huge 3,552 square-foot screens. There’s even a soccer-themed resort on Dubai’s man-made Palm archipelago, the place probably the most devoted followers can keep whereas being shuttled out and in of Doha for every day matches.

Xclusive Yachts, the UAE’s largest personal constitution yacht firm, gives its most opulent seaborne expertise at $20,000 per night time on a tri-deck superyacht full with a skydeck, onboard bar, skylounge, 5 cabins and a Michelin-starred chef serving gourmand meals. 

“We are expecting a more than 300% [rise] in yacht bookings in November and December mainly due to visitors for the World Cup and Qatar who are also looking for leisure activities in Dubai,” Managing Director Amit Patel advised Doha News in October.

Flight site visitors can also be capturing up — Dubai Airports in mid-November introduced {that a} whopping 120 shuttle flights will fly out and in of the Dubai World Central airport every day between the event’s begin and finish dates of Nov. 20 and Dec. 18. 

And on Monday, the CEO of Flydubai, Ghaith Al Ghaith, mentioned that almost all the airline’s match-day shuttle flights to Doha had been at full capability. 

“This is a pattern that looks set to continue over the next couple of days and weeks,” Al Ghaith mentioned.

Flydubai and Qatar Airways will likely be collectively operating the match day shuttle flights between DWC and Doha. With the addition of flights from Dubai’s essential airport, Dubai International (DXB), vacationers can catch a flight each 30 to 50 minutes.