Qatar’s neighbours hope for a World Cup tourism boom

this glittering Gulf metropolis, and excitement for the World Cup is palpable. Hotels, pubs and tourist spots are putting the last touches to fan zones that will accommodate up to 10,000 people. One of the national airlines has increased its schedule tenfold to handle the influx of visitors. A transport authority is laying on 700 taxis, dozens of buses and two ferries to move fans around town. But this is not in Qatar, the tournament’s host. It is in Dubai, the commercial capital of the United Arab Emirates (), some 450km (280 miles) away.An estimated 1.2m fans are expected to visit Qatar for the show, which begins on November 20th. Not all of them will stay in Qatar, though. Some could not find affordable places to sleep (or any places at all). Others were put off by crowds or restrictions on alcohol. So several neighbouring countries stand to benefit from the cup—neighbours that still had Qatar under a blockade just two years ago.