Arab sanctions hurting Doha hotels during Eid holidays

Doha

A BOYCOTT imposed by four Arab nations that accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism is squeezing the tourism sector, and Doha's hotels, which would normally be full in the Eid al-Fitr holidays, have seen steep falls in their occupancy rates.

A Reuters survey of five major hotels found average occupancy was around 57 per cent at the start of the Eid festival on Sunday which marks the end of the Ramadan fasting month when friends and families eat and pray together and take holidays. "We're usually packed with Saudis and Bahrainis but not this year," a staff member at a five-star hotel said.