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Qatar is getting ready to create 1,000 'Bedouin style' tents in the desert for football fans for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. The organisers made this statement on Tuesday, as the state is getting ready for around 1.2 million visitors, nearly half of its population for the 28-day tournament in November and December.
“This is one of the options that will go live in the next two weeks,” said Omar al-Jaber, the head of the accommodation in an official statement. “It is real camping,” he said during a press briefing. “We need to give people the experience of a desert and tent in normal Bedouin style.”
According to Qatar Tourism, there are just less than 30,000 hotel rooms in Qatar. Al-Jaber then revealed that 80% of these rooms are already booked for FIFA players, referees, media and other official guests. "In total, we have more than 100,000 rooms and still there are some new options," he added assuring there would be enough accommodation for everyone, even at the end of November, when visitor numbers will be at their highest during the tournament's group stage.
The current accommodation options are sparse and costly. Qatar's official accommodation website on Tuesday has posted two-bedroom apartments on the outskirts of Doha for $390 a night and a suite aboard a moored cruise ship for $1650 a night at the end of November.
Similarly, the Qatar World Cup has received a lot of backlash because of various human rights issues. But addressing this subject, communications executive director Fatma Al Nuaim expressed that the World Cup could help in changing the perspective of the world about Qatar while speaking with Sportstar. “It has been quite a journey. When we won the rights, we were scrutinised by the media for a lot of topics from corruption and human rights issues to the worker's welfare,” she said.
“I hope the World Cup shows a better image and better understanding of the region. There is a negative misconception of us in the media. The biggest takeaway for us from the World Cup would be them [fans] leaving with good memories and a better understanding of the region. That will be the biggest benefit of hosting such an event here,” she continued.