The barren peninsula of Qatar extends into the Persian Gulf,
bordered on the landward end by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates. Its area may be very small, but the independent emirate
is exceedingly wealthy, with one of the highest per capita incomes
in the world, thanks to its oil and gas resources.
For most of the 20th century Qatar was a British protectorate,
gaining independence in 1971, after which it became embroiled in
territorial disputes with its neighbours and suffered civil strife,
with the Emir being ousted by his son in a coup.
In 1989 the country started issuing tourist visas, heralding a
new era of opening its doors to visitors.
Tourism, despite the establishment of glitzy hotels, has still
to take off in a big way, hampered as it is by the risky security
situation in the Middle East. Qatar labours under a high threat of
indiscriminate terrorist attacks against Western interests.
Whether visiting for business or pleasure (or a combination of
the two), most travellers use the capital, Doha, as their base.
Doha, formerly a quaint and busy pearl fishing village, is today
one of the most important cities in the Middle East, a major
trading centre. It has a large British and American expatriate
population (the Al Udeid air base was headquarters for the US
invasion of Iraq in 2003), which has moulded the city into an
interesting blend of eastern and western culture and
architecture.
Tourists tend to spend their time on the Doha Corniche, a
palm-fringed public promenade that extends for four miles (7km)
along the seafront, lined with five and six-star resort hotels,
restaurants, shops, beaches and recreational areas. A short boat
ride from the Corniche is Palm Tree Island, a great escape full of
fun family amenities and a first class seafood restaurant. Doha
also has its equivalent of Disney World: the Kingdom of Aladdin
Theme Park is in the West Bay area. A major attraction for visitors
is shopping, whether it is in traditional markets (souqs) or the
plethora of massive ultra-modern malls that fill the city
centre.
Those wanting to explore outside the city can undertake
excursions to interesting towns, fishing villages, beautiful
beaches, camel races, luxury resorts and the Almaha Sanctuary at
Shahaniya where the near-extinct Arabian Oryx is being protected.
The Oryx is the origin of the legend of the unicorn, and is Qatar's
national symbol, flying high on the tails of Qatar Airways
jetliners.
