Qatar looks to tents for World Cup 2022 accommodation
Qatar may accommodate thousands of fans in Bedouin-style tents in the desert after declining oil prices have forced the nation to rethink projects including the building of hotels.
In the lead-up to its successful World Cup 2022 bid in 2010, officials from the Gulf state said it would build 55,000 hotel rooms to house supporters, however that has now been altered to 46,000 rooms following the dent in its oil-dependent economy.
“At the heart of this World Cup is a commitment to showcase the hospitality and friendship in the Middle East. As a result, we are actively researching the concept of supporters sleeping under the stars,” a spokesperson for Qatar’s World Cup Supreme Committee told news agency Reuters.
FIFA requires 60,000 rooms to be available during the World Cup, and according to Reuters the organisers are looking at tents as a potential way to meet the requirements.
A Supreme Committee spokesperson said Qatar was on track to deliver the required rooms, although it is unknown if the mooted camps will be permitted alcohol consumption. Public drinking in the Muslim nation is banned, although the camps could serve as a specially designated fan zone where the law could be relaxed.
Football World Cup 2022 Qatar development hotel fans