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The Gulf estimates that the World Cup, which residents once dreaded, brought 1.4 million people to the state.
The Qatar World Cup brought hundreds of thousands of football fans into the hotels and stadiums but months later, the Arab country is looking to heal the post-World Cup gloom by hosting more international events.
After the global event, the country saw the football crowds depart and the thousands of foreign workers leave the Gulf on December 18, after Argentina took the trophy. Many of those who are still there are counting the cost.
As reported by AFP, most of the luxury hotels built for the tournament have laid off so many of their staff members since they cannot make as much money as they did during the World Cup.
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All games of the intercontinental tourney are to be played in the capital Doha.
Qatar is normally hungry for labour but it came as a shock that a shopping mall on the edge of Doha advertised 100 jobs and saw more than 1,000 people jostling outside for interviews.
The Gulf estimates that the World Cup, which residents once dreaded, brought 1.4 million people to the state.
Akhtar Patel, who runs a jewellery store in Doha's Souq Waqif market, said business in comparison is "quiet". "We really miss those fans now," he said, as quoted by AFP.
The Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday brought back some shoppers, but not as many as the World Cup did. The decline has been such that Sandeev Kumar, who runs a print workshop, sent two of his four staff back to India because he could no longer afford to pay them.
"We miss the vibe, but we miss the business even more," he said.
On Doha's seafront, the host to a World Cup fanzone, some jobless workers have been reduced to asking for cash handouts, leading the interior ministry to issue a public warning against "uncivilised" begging.
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But Qatar's economy remains healthy. After recording a trade surplus of close to KSh 13.244 trillion ($100 billion) in 2022. A wave of newcomers has also added nearly 100,000 to the population since the World Cup.
Meanwhile, Akbar al-Baker, head of Qatar's tourism agency and Qatar Airways, said hotel occupancy in the months after a World Cup is "always low".
The tiny country has made investments in tourism and hosting more major events a focus, Baker added, predicting Qatar will welcome more than five million visitors this year.
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Mechanical diggers are laying the ground for a six-month horticultural expo from October, which Qatar hopes will draw one million foreign visitors.
Concrete is also being poured at a new race track to host the second Qatar Formula One grand prix on October 8. On Friday, April 28, Qatar was revealed as the host of the 24-nation basketball World Cup in 2027, despite having no tradition in the sport.
On his part, Culture Minister Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad bin Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani said that when Qatar first launched its Years of Culture series with other countries a decade ago it was a struggle to find candidates.
"Countries are now queuing to be part of the Years of Culture," he told an event for this year's partner, Indonesia.
New prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani took office in March and is expected to soon announce new economic initiatives, in part a response to growing competition from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which has embarked on many reforms.
Business executives say they expect measures to attract the skilled expatriates and investment needed to wean Qatar's economy off its reliance on gas and oil.
Bassam Hajhamad, head of the PricewaterhouseCoopers consultancy's Qatar branch, said he is "definitely sure" the government will make changes.
He said businesses are showing a "push for transformation" into digital and other new areas.
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Foreign workers currently have to leave once their contract finishes and few have the right to buy property. Companies also want "more resources, more talent", Hajhamd said, adding reforms to "labour and visa" regulations will make Qatar more attractive.
"Qatar has a lot of unique propositions compared to other countries. But we need to develop a more structured approach to attract talent."
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