Originally Posted by
remdk
I read somewhere that Qatar is thought to have an overcapacity of hotel accommodation so any measure to help the situation would certainly be welcomed by the Hotel owners and the Tourist authorities. Especially at this time of crisis.
Qatar does have hotel overcapacity right now, and it will likely get worse before it gets better as it continues to increase capacity with an eye towards the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Moreover, after the World Cup finishes, the hotel room capacity oversupply is likely to be at least as bad if not worse compared to current, similar to what South Africa experienced in 2010. When you increase capacity to meet peak demand, there is obviously oversupply after the peak demand goes away. Clearly a non-trivial factor in creating the current oversupply is the boycott. The hotel room requirements interplay over time between reduction in requirement due to the boycott and increase in requirement due to the 2022 World Cup will be interesting to watch. Personally, I think that this is a great time to go as a tourist; and I have planned a nine day trip to Doha for this June.