Travel advice for visiting Doha during the Fifa Football World Cup

Some 1.2 million persons are expected to pour into Qatar for the duration of the impending 2022 FIFA Planet Cup that starts this month.

With enthusiasts coming from all around the environment, reaching Qatar on the Arabian Peninsula, as well as having close to after there, continues to be a problem. Estimates counsel that as lots of as half a million folks may well be in the nation each day in the course of the top of the levels of competition.

Even so, admirers have a selection of transportation solutions to pick out from ahead of the match.

Here is a glance at how to get there, the place to go and how to move all around.

Flying TO QATAR

Qatar has become a hub for East-West travel, thanks to its extensive-haul carrier Qatar Airways. Presently, the airline is offering customized flight, resort and ticket choices for its shoppers. Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is gearing up to have its low-charge carrier FlyDubai run as numerous as 30 visits a day into Doha to make it possible for spectators to view a match and then shuttle again to hotels in the emirate. People traveling in will land at Doha’s Hamad Global Airport, a substantial airport that Qatar built for $26 billion and opened in 2014. The airport has plans to broaden further in 2022 to cope with 58 million travellers a yr. Travellers will clear immigration and customs checks just before heading out into the town. Note that during the match, Qatar will not likely be issuing regular visas and these coming for the matches should have a Qatari-issued Hayya Card. The card verifies you have housing for the time you happen to be in the region or will travel in just for the match you might be seeing. The Hayya Card also is necessary for entry into stadiums. Also hold in head that Qatar has only 1 land border, with Saudi Arabia, if you are contemplating about driving.

CORONAVIRUS Considerations

Qatar has experienced demanding rules relating to vacation and the coronavirus considering the fact that the pandemic started, but they ended up loosened as of Nov. 1. Qatar has dropped a necessity for PCR testing prior to your journey to the place, and claimed it’s no lengthier necessary to download its Ehteraz get hold of-tracing app.

HOW TO GET Close to QATAR

As you walk out of the airport, you have quite a few options on how to get about. Qatar’s point out-owned Mowasalat transportation enterprise presents taxi cabs at curbside. Important experience-hailing applications like Uber also operate in Qatar. Mowasalat runs a bus company at the airport, much too. Doha also has a not long ago built metro service, which will take you from the airport to most regions in the cash. The metro also connects to a tram now operating in Lusail. You can rent a motor vehicle at the airport, however officers are urging those coming to the tournament to choose mass transit. On match day, general public transportation will be free to those keeping tickets. Continue to keep in head that Qatar’s riyal currency trades at $1 to 2.1 riyals. There are 100 dirhams in every single riyal.

Typical Journey Tips

MFAT has released an advisory for any one travelling to Qatar this thirty day period.

With the region internet hosting the large profile occasion their advice is to just take out detailed vacation coverage and to be conscious that there are some customs and legal guidelines that could surprise New Zealanders overseas.

“There are severe penalties for functions that may perhaps not be illegal or regarded inappropriate in New Zealand.”

Regional cyber laws make it an offense to insult others by way of social media or on the web.

“This includes offence triggered by using on the net mediums, and using pics of men and women devoid of their authorization.”

Though it is unlikely to be prosecuted on scale travellers are warnted that it is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a most fantastic of QR100,000 ($47,565).

Qatar has rigid guidelines governing alcoholic beverages. Lawful age is 21 an it is prohibited to drink in general public or outside the house of licenced premises. Modesty and discretion are also inspired with general public shows of intimacy an arrestable offence.

Journey advisories warn pre-marital sexual intercourse and “homosexual conduct” are illegal.

The closest New Zealand embassay is found in the UAE in Abu Dhabi.

“Owing to the deficiency of Embassy presence in Qatar, the ability to present consular guidance is minimal, particularly throughout the Earth Cup.”

– AP with extra reporting