Much has been made of Qatar's credentials–or lack thereof–to host the 2022 Soccer World Cup.
The decision to run one of the world's most popular sporting events during the peak summer months in the Arabian Gulf, when
temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius, has brought with it howls of protest and much hand wringing from football
officials and medical professionals alike.
While deep pocketed Qatar has fended off much of this criticism by pledging to use cooling technology to lower temperatures
within soccer stadiums, another potential headache for the tiny Gulf Arab state is just where it will house the hundreds of
thousands of soccer fans expected to converge on the capital Doha and its surrounding areas.
On Monday, Qatar gave a glimpse of how it expects to deal with the demand for beds during the month-long tournament.
Barwa Real Estate Co., a local firm partly-owned by the government, is planning to develop an island, which will feature five
floating hotels, luxury villas and a water park, off the coast of Doha at a cost of about $5.5 billion. The Oryx Island will
use electrical vehicles, water taxis, ferries and private boats to transport visitors, according to the company.
The Oryx Island project is said to be able to accommodate about 25,000 people and is slated for completion in seven to eight
years time.
Plans for the mega real estate project come amid a wider building and infrastructure boom in Qatar in the run-up to the 2022
event. High government spending on new roads, drainage systems, a rail network and stadiums for the World Cup are all seen
boosting Qatar's economic growth in the years ahead.
Estimates on how much Qatar and the wider region will benefit from one of world's most popular sports events vary, but the
country is expected to spend at least $100 billion on infrastructure such as sports stadiums, hotels and transport. It's
already reaping the economic benefits of this with GDP expanding by 6.6% last year.
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