Are you planning to travel to Qatar in 2022 to support the Red Devils at the World Cup? Be prepared to … maybe get a little thirsty! Cocktails over 20 euros, consumption prohibited outdoors, no bottles on arrival at the airport: visitors expected in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 will have to do with local customs.
One of the biggest sporting events on the planet is usually punctuated with drunken celebrations. But the big round ball mass will take place for the first time in a Muslim country, in this case in a conservative Gulf emirate, where access to drinks is very restricted.
While permits to buy alcohol are mainly reserved for residents, and that the Duty Free on arrival at the airport does not contain any drop, tourists will have to fall back on the fan zones as well as a few bars and restaurants, mainly in large hotels. And the law punishes being drunk in the public square.
Qatari organizers promise that alcohol will be “available in other locations for supporters“. “We are working with Fifa and local players to ensure that we will meet the expectations of all fans, locals and tourists alike.“a spokesman told AFP.
During the 2019 Club World Cup, Qatar set up a fan zone of 45,000 people, offering alcoholic drinks for less than 10 euros.
Hidden alcohol bottles, tinted glasses
In 2011, Qatar largely liberalized access to alcohol in The Pearl district, which is supposed to attract a wealthy Western community. After complaints from Qataris and behavior deemed excessive, the authorities had tightened the screw.
Recently, restaurateurs were again allowed to apply for the license but still face a taboo, some hesitant to use it or even speak about it publicly for fear of arousing the repulsion of certain customers, the authorities or their owners.
“I had to wait a year and a half for my license because no one wanted to sign the document. Many Qataris refuse to be associated with alcohol“, tells AFP the manager of a restaurant at The Pearl with a view of yachts.
Last summer, she was finally able to serve alcohol under a number of conditions: no drinks on the terrace, no bottles on the tables. And wine glasses should be tinted. Despite these constraints and the criticisms of Qataris on social networks, she is delighted to have made her “best month in eight years“.
This restaurant enthusiast hopes that the authorities will put wine in their water: “People are not going to understand that they have to be locked up for drinking when the weather is wonderful at this time of year in Qatar.“
Even five-star hotels, all of which are licensed, face their own constraints. In a hotel which is about to open its doors in the center of Doha, waiters are trained in a sports bar supposed to fill up with customers during the World Cup.
Taboo words: beer becomes “hops and grains”
According to an official of this hotel, promotions intended to attract drinkers must redouble inventiveness to spare Qatari social taboos.
“There are words that should be avoided. Instead of beer, we will say ‘hops and grains’ ; for wine, it will be ‘raisins’ ; for sparkling wine we prefer ‘sparkling’“, explains with an air of amusement the young woman to AFP.
“We have different packages for brunches, the most expensive with access to alcohol will be called ‘reinforced package’ to avoid disturbing the Qataris who will read the menu“, she adds.
Qatar Tourism Authority chairman Akbar al-Baker assures AFP that“there will be as much alcohol as you want“, referring to Fifa on the details of access to drinks. “We will provide (visitors) a one-of-a-kind experience“, he promises, without giving details.
For most observers, Qatar will be ready for the World Cup in terms of infrastructure and organization. But next to new stadiums and renovated roads, the real challenge will be to entertain hundreds of thousands of tourists in a small country little known for its attractions and its sense of celebration.
“In view of the experiences of the World Cups from 2006 to 2018, the spectators of the first round will attend one match every three or four days only. Visitors come first for fun“, explains to AFP an expert on sporting events in Qatar.
According to this specialist who requested anonymity, he seems to be missing in Qatar “a real understanding of the visitor’s expectations“, accustomed elsewhere to tourist attractions and to alcohol freely.
