In October 2024 I stopped in Doha for 36 hours on my way back to the UK.
I often go via Dubai but since Qatar now flies daily from Osaka, thought I’d try them instead. The stay over cost in Doha was almost negligible and Doha has come a very long way in the last 10 years.
What was Doha like?
Doha isn’t anything of the scale of Dubai nor is it as brash.
It’s got sparkling infrastructure, a first class airport and multi lane expressways with no sign of traffic. I liked the metro which was brand new and with almost no one riding it (says someone used to crowded Japanese trains!)
Stating the obvious Doha is hot! Even in October at midday the temperature soared above 35c. The culture is almost nocturnal; jet lagged I walked at 3am and the squares and parks were quite busy.
The population is small, and like Dubai almost everyone is from somewhere else. I talked to people from Nepal, Sri Lanka and Egypt.
Doha was very clean. Like in Japan I saw lots of people sweeping and washing down the streets.
And what about the consumer goods industry?
Doha is largely an import market. I visited Lulu, a supermarket chain present in several Gulf states.
Carrefour is there too – this year they’re celebrating 24 years in Qatar.
Given Doha’s proximity to India there were substantial displays of spices.
There was a huge amount of rice available. Take note Japan where there is currently a rice shortage!
Cooking oils is clearly a substantial category with much bigger pack sizes than I’ve seen in other markets.
There was also a sizeable sugar alternatives section…
Tea was a much bigger category than coffee, at least based on the space allocation in this supermarket!
There was also a substantial Filipino food section!
Not surprisingly for a Muslim country there was no alcohol on display. As I have seen elsewhere in the Gulf there were far fewer “Halal” branded items.