Qatar’s winning bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup' is fuelling increased interest within tourism and related travel sectors, according to organisers of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), the leading travel exhibition in the Middle East region.

Qatar's World Cup coup is driving tourism industry optimism across the region ahead of the ATM which has been experiencing strong interest for exhibition space, said Mark Walsh, group exhibition director, Reed Travel Exhibitions.

ATM, which has grown to become the largest showcase of its kind in the region and one of the biggest in the world, will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 2 to 5, he added.

Having won the right to host the world’s most prestigious sporting event, Qatar is further accelerating its $100 billion programme of infrastructure expansion and construction, Walsh said.

According to a report prepared by the National Bank of Kuwait, the winning bid is bringing renewed impetus to many infrastructure projects vital to growing Qatar’s tourism sector.

In addition to the building of 12 new football stadiums, Qatar also plans to build more than 80,000 additional hotel rooms, with 10,000 to 15,000 of these expected to be ready by the end of 2011.

Further infrastructure projects include a $25 billion rail network, a $20 billion road improvement programme and the $4 billion Qatar-Bahrain causeway.

'Given the size and momentum of this development, the increased interest in attending ATM should come as no surprise,' remarked Walsh.

“According to consultancy firm Grant Thornton, 373,000 fans visited South Africa for the recent 2010 World Cup alone. In Qatar’s case, at least twice as many people again will be needed during the planning and preparation stages to develop the stadia, hotels, power and transport infrastructure,” Walsh added.

According to him, the exhibitor bookings from the Mena region for the ATM are very healthy, with over three months still left in the marketing cycle, the official said.

'Many nations have already exceeded the amount of space taken last year – with Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar up by 11.8 per cent, 7.5 per cent, 3.8 per cent and 3.6 per cent respectively,' he revealed.

Walsh said he was optimistic of a 5-8 per cent overall increase by the time the four-day show opens.

“Regionally, billions of dollars are being invested in tourism infrastructure – Qatar Airways, Etihad, Emirates and Oman Air, are all aggressively expanding their fleets and flying to new destinations, diversifying their economies, at a time when oil prices seem destined to settle comfortably above $100 per barrel,” he added.

Last year 2,236 companies took part in the travel expo covering over 20,000 sq m and attracting more than 22,000 attendees, said Walsh.-TradeArabia News Service