Qatar’s Al Thumama Stadium, one of the proposed venues for the Fifa 2022 World Cup, will leave a lasting impact on the economic, sporting and cultural landscapes of the country, the organisers of the national team football tournament have claimed.
A boutique hotel will be built following the conclusion of the tournament and will be the main element of the long-lasting impact on the area. Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy’s (SC) plans for the hotel aligned directly with the long-term growth strategy of one of its key stakeholders, Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA).
QTA’s 2030 strategy focuses on growing Qatar’s available inventory of three- and four-star hotel rooms by six per cent and four per cent respectively, from a 2012 baseline.
In addition, there will be multi-sport leisure facilities, a Mosque, retail and commercial outlets, as well as a branch of the sports clinic Aspetar.
In May, the SC organised an accommodation concept workshop in association with QTA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC), in which about 40 of the world’s leading hotel brands discussed the accommodation options ahead of the tournament.
QTA’s chief tourism development officer, Hassan Al Ibrahim, said the partnership with the SC would help in the development of a sustainable tourism industry through to and beyond 2022.
Al Thumama Stadium will also leave behind sporting legacies, including athletics, cycling and equestrian tracks suitable for everyone from elite athletes to recreational users. The local community will further benefit from basketball, handball, volleyball, tennis and swimming facilities.
Following the tournament, the stadium’s capacity will be reduced to 20,000, which will allow for many local, regional and international football events. The upper tiers of its modular seating will be dismantled and donated to countries across Asia and Africa that require sporting infrastructure.
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