All quiet on the Middle Eastern front?

DOHA-“A lot of Europeans have left,” said Margarita, the manager of the Desert Rose, the only Ukrainian restaurant in Qatar, located in the historical Souk Waqif. Referring to the attacks on Feb 28^th, “to hear these sounds when you have kids is a disaster.”

 Iran fired a constellation of missiles and drones at this tiny oil and gas rich emirate after the US Israeli attack on Tehran began Feb. 28. On the day of the attack 66 missiles were fired on Qatar and all were intercepted. The falling shrapnel from the interceptions caused a few injuries.

 On March 18, Iran launched a successful attack knocking out 17 percent of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas capacity, resulting in $20 billion in lost annual revenue and interrupting the supply chain to Europe and Asia.

 Margarita moved to Doha from a small town in Ukraine six years ago to help the Ukrainian owner open the restaurant. Her Italian husband works as a personal chef for one of the royal families. “This patio is usually full of people, and now it’s empty,” she said. The restaurant depends on tourism and has had to lower their hookah tobacco prices by over 15 percent to try to lure more local customers.

 Qatar is a peninsula located off the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East. It shares a land border with Saudi Arabia and is in-between Bahrain to and the United Arab Emirates.

 The Souq Waqif was quiet for a Friday night during prayer call. The historical market in the center of Doha is usually a place where locals and tourists mix, but there were few visitors.

 The conflict is having an impact not only in the Middle East according to STR, a leading hotel analytics company. “The war in Iran had an immediate and obvious impact on hotel performance in the Middle East. As the conflict continues, however, the potential increases for negative impacts in other regions in the world,” reported by STR.

 Doha the capital is a popular mid-way stopping point for European flights headed to Asia. The recent conflict has contributed to a recent decline in visitors to some markets in Asia as well. The Maldives market has seen a negative 20 percent drop year over year in demand. The analytics show similar trends for Thailand and Southeast Asia.

 Located just north of the Souq, the Pearl is a manmade island approximately 1.5 square miles in size but includes about 20 miles of coastline due to its unique design. It is mostly made up of residential towers with retail space alongside a marina. It is remarkable because it is one of the largest residential developments in the Middle East and is the first development in Qatar where expats are allowed to own property.

 The restaurants were empty aside from a few locals out for strolls around the waterfront retail. The elaborate Yasime Palace Middle East Restaurant was welcoming place with a large patio on the water. One of the most popular restaurants in the Pearl, it was about 25 percent full on a Thursday night.

 The Museum of Qatar had just a handful of visitors. Designed by the French architect Jean Noouvel in the unique shape of a desert rose crystal which is found in Qatar, the new museum surrounds the site of the Sheijh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani’s palace. He was the Emir of Qatar from 1913-49 and is a national hero. The museum takes you through a journey of pre historic history, Bedouin culture, pearl diving and the discovery of oil.

 The Museum of Islamic Art was quiet, too. Set on the edge of the corniche of the Doha Bay, the building was designed by I.M. Pei who also designed the Louvre Pyramid. The museum contains numerous objects from the seventh to the 20^th century from three continents. The highlight was the interior of the building. The open five-story interior with a café overlooking the modern skyline of Doha across the water is a great place to enjoy a coffee and the view.

 My five-star hotel was empty as well. The Elements by Marriott in West Bay was 90 euros per night, and my room was an entire apartment on the 24^th floor with a Gulf view balcony, kitchen, laundry machine, and two bathrooms. The property included a gym and pool on the 33^rd floor and three restaurants. Quite a deal and not my usual choice when traveling alone, but I could not resist the price point.

 As I listened to the last prayer call of the night while looking out to the sea from my balcony, I felt a lot of gratitude to be able to see such an interesting place without the crowds. I also felt concerned that the recent conflict may have caused some harm to the idea that that Doha would continue to follow Dubai’s lead in becoming a tourism destination. Would this just be a blip or change the course of the region? mlp