Demand for flights to Doha is increasing, additional charters are being introduced, here are the prices

Due to the high interest of fans for the quarter-final match of the World Cup between Croatia and Brazil, travel agencies are introducing charter flights to Doha, and it is expected that there will be significantly more fans than in the round of 16 against Japan.

– Some of our members are introducing additional charters from Zagreb to meet the demand, and although this is less than the demand when such competitions are held in Europe, agencies are still noticing an increase in demand as the national team progresses. In addition to Doha, or Qatar, demand is also rising for Dubai, from where flights to Doha are being combined, says Tomislav Fain, president of UHPA (Association of Croatian Travel Agencies) for Hina.

So far, Croatian fans have mostly traveled to the World Cup in Qatar via Dubai, where they also stayed and flew to matches in Qatar, there were also flights from low-cost airlines, and they managed in various ways, says Fain.

For the charters that will fly to the quarter-final match and back (flight, transfers to and from the stadium, and assistance on the way, without overnight stays), fans, as Fain says, must set aside around 11,000 to 15,000 kuna, and demand has increased after Croatia’s victory over Japan.

He notes that so far, around 6,000 to 7,000 kuna had to be set aside for a return flight from Zagreb to Doha, and that, for example, a double room in Doha could be found for around 300 euros per person per day.

He says it is hard to say how many Croatian fans will be in Qatar on Friday for the match, as some, as before, will travel in individual arrangements, but it is certain that agencies will have more traffic than for previous matches.

Increase in demand for Advent and New Year trips

Demand is also rising for Dubai, which is always sought after, especially for New Year, as there one can find more affordable accommodation, and although, like Qatar, it is an expensive destination for most locals, Fain says that demand for that city is constantly increasing.

In addition to football, agencies this year are also experiencing an increase in interest and sales for longer and shorter Advent trips and New Year celebrations in European destinations, for which Fain says that all agencies in Croatia are doing, and that “demand is incomparably higher than at the same time last year, or on par with that of 2019.”.

On the other hand, agencies have somewhat lower sales to domestic travelers for holiday destinations, which he says is not new as locals travel for holidays within Croatia, but more in their own arrangements.

He believes that there will be many locals eager for travel and entertainment for New Year celebrations in hotels and other places in Croatia.

Regarding Advent in Croatia, he emphasizes that through agencies, domestic travelers most seek and ‘buy’ Zagreb, which, according to information from hoteliers and the Zagreb Tourist Board, has brought significant occupancy of accommodation capacities and overnight stays, which in the first ten days of Advent Zagreb is at around 95 percent of overnight stays from the same period in 2019.