Qatar has become the 42nd country added to the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, allowing citizens of both countries to travel visa-free. Notably, Qatar is the first Gulf nation to join the program, which is less about its tourism appeal and more about its political and security commitments.
The Visa Waiver Program enables visitors traveling for tourism or business to stay up to 90 days without a visa, provided their countries meet strict U.S. criteria in counterterrorism, law enforcement, immigration control, document security, and border management. Qatar’s inclusion came after a “significant whole-of-government effort” to satisfy these stringent requirements, including enhanced cooperation on sharing information related to terrorism and serious crimes.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken highlighted that Qatar’s fulfillment of these security requirements will strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations and boost the flow of people and commerce.
While Qatar is the 42nd country to join the program, following Croatia in 2021 and Israel last year, its tourism relationship with the U.S. remains modest. U.S. visitors accounted for only 4% of Qatar’s total arrivals, with 129,000 U.S. tourists visiting up to August this year out of 3.28 million total tourists.
Since hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar has been striving to regain the tourism momentum from that period. However, without major events like sports tournaments, the sector tends to contract. This is compounded by the country’s recent addition of 10,000 hotel rooms, increasing total accommodation by a third to nearly 40,000 rooms.
To attract more visitors, Qatar Airways introduced new packages in July, encouraging travelers to stop over in Doha for up to four nights, with subsidized hotel and activity packages offered through Qatar Holidays. Additionally, Qatar’s tourism authority provides transit visas for around $27 and offers special tours for travelers stopping over for six hours or more.
