Is Qatar the Next Dubai

Is Qatar the Next Dubai? - New York Times: "FIVE times a day, the Muslim call to prayer echoes through the mazelike passageways of Souk Waqif in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Projected from slender minarets that dot Doha, a low-lying white city along the Persian Gulf, the warbling, ages-old Arabic incantation reverberates through stalls selling everything from traditional khanjar daggers to baby strollers. When it arrives, merchants in long, white gutras and checkered headdresses kneel toward Mecca and pray.

The Pearl, whose first phase will debut next year, is just one of the Xanadu-like attractions suddenly appearing as if from a rubbed Aladdin's lamp. Poof! A luxury resort resembling an ancient Arabian city, the Sharq Village & Spa, rises along the beachfront. Poof! The modernist Museum of Islamic Arts, designed by I. M. Pei, sprouts along the bay. Poof! The nation's largest shopping center, a monument of Italian Renaissance details traversed by Venetian canals, begins its ascent.

Why are these small and conservative Islamic countries suddenly courting the world's luggage-rolling masses after decades of indifference? One reason lies underground. With economies centered on petroleum — and with supplies slowly dwindling — many oil-dependent nations are scrambling to diversify their revenue streams.

But the more immediate inspiration lies next door: the bling-bedecked Cinderella story of the travel industry, the emirate of Dubai.

One-third the size of Belgium and containing only about 885,000 people, Qatar was basically closed until the current emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, seized power from his father in 1995. Even today, Qatar controls only a speck of the world tourism market — about one-tenth of 1 percent of the according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. The main recreation for travelers is "dune bashing" around the desert in an S.U.V. and marveling at the nothingness. Falconry and camel racing are top leisure activities.

Even the empty Bahraini desert is being prettied up for international travelers. When the Al Areen Desert Resort and Spa is complete, in 2008, it will unfold a world of luxury hotels, a water park designed like ancient ruins and an enormous $50 million spa.

And don't count out Oman. Blessed with Biblical history, ancient ruins, medieval fortresses and some of the Middle East's most sublime landscapes, Oman has traditionally been a cult destination for travelers more comfortable in hiking boots than high heels. Suddenly, however, mellow Oman, whose tourism ministry opened a mere two years ago, is unveiling its own bold blueprints.

In the meantime, the country will have to contend with some notable obstacles to seducing foreigners. One is simply the 100-degree-plus heat in summer, which threatens to turn visitors into beef jerky. Another is the conservative Islamic climate. Though non-Islamic women don't need to be veiled — modest dress is sufficient — they might have trouble getting a beer. Alcohol is banned almost everywhere except hotels.

And though Doha is generally considered quite safe, terrorism has reared its head: a suicide attack on an English-language amateur theater company last year killed one person and wounded more than a dozen."