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SL offers accommodation to World Cup fans

25 Sep 2022

  • Harin Fernando proposes SL as an alternative destination 
The Ministry of Tourism has offered Sri Lanka as an alternative destination to accommodate football fans visiting Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, considering the extended gap between games, the lack of adequate lodging facilities in Qatar, and the strict restrictions on alcohol.   Tourism Minister Harin Fernando revealed this on Tuesday (20) at the public launch of the ‘Save the Sri Lankan Smile’ white-label tourism promotional campaign at the Ramada Hotel. The Minister stated that he had spoken to the FIFA President and had offered Sri Lanka as an alternative destination to host the football fans who would be arriving in Qatar, as the country was more affordable in addition to being a mere four-hour flight away. “I want the industry to get involved and I have told my staff to start discussions with SriLankan Airlines and Qatar Airways in order to implement this. There are only 40,000 rooms in Doha and they will be priced at high premiums. There are 60 flights a day from flydubai from just Dubai to Doha, but even Dubai will be expensive. Therefore, if there is a four-day gap between the games, football fans can stay in Sri Lanka for three nights,” he said.  Minister Fernando further stated that this would be a superb package to attract visitors to Sri Lanka and that he had already spoken to the relevant Sheikh heading the Qatar Football Association. He noted that this was a good opportunity for Sri Lanka to capitalise on, considering Qatar’s restrictions on alcohol consumption and the usual party atmosphere sought by football fans. The Minister further revealed that Sri Lankan tourism expected to reach its target of one million tourists by the end of 2022 and that the total expected revenue for the year was $ 1.7 billion. The 2022 Qatar World Cup is scheduled to take place in the city of Doha from 20 November to 18 December. The Qatar Supreme Committee, which is in charge of delivering the World Cup, expects 1.3 million fans to visit Qatar during the tournament, a figure equal to half the current overall population of the country.  Given the expected influx of fans and tourists, there are concerns that Qatar may not be able to offer enough accommodation to visitors, especially those without tickets and wanting to experience the World Cup and the country’s culture in various areas away from the stadiums, including public areas and fan zones.  Consequently, steps have been taken to close off Qatar to all visitors other than football fans from 1 November to 23 December due to the lack of accommodation.    – By Shenal Fernando    


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