Doha: Flight bookings to Qatar continue to boom ahead of FIFA World Cup 2022. From across the Middle East, reservations for confirmed flights are up 6,000 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels, and the UAE leads the way as the top source market for travellers.

The world’s biggest football tournament is kicking off in a little over four weeks, and fans from around the world have been busy securing flights to the Gulf state.

About 1.5 million fans, a little more than half the population of Qatar, are expected to descend upon the country and travellers from the Middle East look set to dominate the Doha stands.

According to reports, flight tickets issued in the region are up 5,772 per cent for travel to Qatar during the tournament, compared to bookings in January 2022.

The UAE continues to be the top country from where travellers will fly to the tournament, with consistent growth month-over-month of three per cent. The Emirates accounts for 17 per cent of all flight bookings made in September for travel to Qatar during the World Cup.

Football fans in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and other emirates are close enough to the action to be able to stay in the UAE and have a quick commute to Doha aboard match-day shuttle flights.

Recent news that non-ticket holders to the World Cup are able to enter Qatar during the tournament, as long as they have approval from someone who does have a ticket, has led to an increase in flight bookings from the UAE.

In September, reservations for flights from the US to Qatar slowed, but the country remains the second largest feeder market for travellers heading to the world's biggest footballing tournament. It is followed by India, which accounts for 6 per cent of all September flight reservations.

The UK, Saudi Arabia and Spain rank next, followed by Kuwait, France, Egypt and Lebanon rounding out the top 10.

Travellers are also keen to travel to Qatar from Argentina, with bookings growing at speed in September.

The South American country has had a 244 per cent increase in flight bookings to Qatar compared to the previous month. The country accounts for 2.4 per cent of all September flight bookings to Doha.

Bookings from the Asia Pacific are up more than 17,000 per cent compared to the beginning of the year. This is likely because of the participation of a record six teams from across the region and the recent easing of travel restrictions in several Asia Pacific countries.