The Middle East aims to capitalize on post-pandemic tourism as the global vacation rentals market is expected to be worth more than $100 billion by 2030.  But, in Qatar, which is hosting FIFA 2022 in November, the demand for vacation rentals is proving costly for residents in Doha, as many have received eviction notices. 

According to Doha News, eviction notices and rent spikes are caused by a need to accommodate fans ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022. People in the city face significantly higher rent or demands to sign short-term lease contracts, as millions are expected to visit the country for the month-long tournament.

Asked to vacate from houses they’ve lived in for years, people are facing immense hardship, as Doha News reported, to find alternate accommodation in a market where rents are skyrocketing. Although landlords can only increase rent by 10% per year on average, the government removed the limit to increase revenues during the World Cup 2022.

Although the expected turnout of visitors in the country is more than a million fans, hotels and hotel apartments in Qatar only have 33,200 rooms, according to Qatar Tourism Authority. Unfortunately, the price for bridging this divide between the number of visitors and accommodation is being paid by local tenants.