FIFA 2022: Plan Your Budget

The game of  football is a mix of pure jubilation and momentous grief. It is also the world’s most popular sport, and the FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting spectacle.

This is the second time it is being held in Asia, exactly 20 years after the previous one in Japan.

Qatar is closer home, and Indian fans have the opportunity to have the experience of a lifetime this winter. The fact that the experience in Qatar won’t be as expensive as the one in Japan, where the cost of living is prohibitive, is an added advantage.

If you are planning to spend either a couple of days or to follow your dream team to the finals, here’s a guide on what to keep in mind when planning a trip, and how much money to keep handy.

Travel Requirements

Accommodation: The first thing you need to do is book an accommodation, as without those details, you won’t be able to apply for your Visa.    You can book an accommodation only through the Discover Qatar website, the official accommodation partner for FIFA.

Visa Rules: Qatar has a visa on arrival for Indian citizens, but during FIFA 2022, the Hayya Card will serve as Visa for all visitors, whether to see football matches or for business or vacation. There will be no Visa on arrival, free Visa or other types of Visa available during this period.

You can apply for a Hayya Card online via any medium, but it can be accessed through Google Play Store or iOS App Store only on your smartphone. At present, there are no charges for Hayya Cards for FIFA ticket holders, but for others, the fee is $23.99, $50.99 and $70.99.

Hayya Card holders will get free bus and metro access to travel to FIFA stadiums, too.

Remember that the application for Hayya Card will be considered incomplete unless you validate the accommodation. You must possess a valid passport with six months’ validity along with confirmed return tickets to apply for the Visa.

Vaccination: You need to register yourself on the Ethteraz Qatar government portal to fill in your vaccination and other health details.

For this, you will need an international mobile SIM card or a local one from Qatar’s two service providers (Ooredoo or Vodafone). You can buy your preferred SIM card from the Hamad International Airport or Abu Samra border crossing in Qatar before heading to your hotel.

Travellers must be fully vaccinated, and there should be a gap of 14 days between the last dose and your date of arrival. Both Covidshield and Covaxin have been approved by Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health. In addition, travellers also need to get tested Covid negative within 72 hours of arrival.

Payments And Forex: You can either carry money in cash (dollars or local currency) or use a forex, debit or credit card. Indians, who have gotten used to UPI payments, will be disappointed, as that doesn’t work there. Says Nishan Pitti, CEO and founder, EaseMyTrip, a travel booking website: “The traveller must carry a valid card or a minimum of $1,400 in cash (dollar or QAR).”

You can also withdraw in local currency by using your international debit and credit cards, but dynamic currency conversion charges (DCC) in the range of 3-8 per cent will apply.

A prepaid forex card can help avoid such charges, says Amitabh Bhatnagar, head, trade and foreign exchange and diplomatic segment, RBL Bank. Typically, the documents that banks require for issuing forex cards are the passport, permanent account number (PAN) and Visa. These documents need to be attached along with the required form.

Says Bhatnagar, “Suppose a customer needs an additional amount in his forex card, he or his close relatives can reload the card by contacting the bank and providing the necessary payment and documents.”

Do note that the maximum amount you can load in your forex card in a year is $2.50 lakh, as per the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI’s) Liberalised Remittance Scheme

The Cost Of DIY

The FIFA World Cup begins on November 20 and ends on December 18, 2022. Flight ticket prices from Delhi to Hamad International Airport (Doha, Qatar) will range from Rs 19,740-47,337 depending on your departure date, flight choice, and others, according to data from EaseMyTrip, an online travel agent.

If you want a taste of the nomadic lifestyle of the Bedouin, you can check into one of the Bedouin style tents at the FIFA fan villages, especially set up for FIFA World Cup travellers. They will also offer a choice of caravan-style hotels for QAR407 (around Rs 8,910) a night.

For a more luxurious experience, you can book yourself a stay-in-a-cruise-ship hotel for QAR1,240 (about Rs 27,133), while FIFA fan village cabins would cost you about QAR740 (Rs 16,142).

For budget-conscious travellers, who are fine with staying on the outskirts, there are multiple options such as 4376 Barwa Barahat Al Janoub cluster apartments which could cost QAR365 onwards (about Rs 7,968) per night. A night in 4382 Barwa Barahat Al Janoub cluster apartments would cost QAR300 (about Rs 6,564).

If you want a budget hotel and not a cluster apartment, then there are slightly expensive options. For instance, La Villa Hotel, a budget hotel located close to Souq Waqif, would cost QAR449 a night (about Rs 9,827).

Cost Of Travel Packages

Qatar Airways, the official partner of FIFA 2022, has launched packaged deals, including roundtrip flights, accommodation, and others.

You can choose from a total of seven packages, including a full package with all matches from November 20 to December 15-19, a quarterfinal package, a semi-final package and packages for specific matches.

You can also go for a team package, which will allow you to follow your team from its opening game to the finals. Should your team fail at any of the knockout stages, you will get a refund.

Let’s say, you are supporting the La Albiceleste and wish to book a full Argentina package. This package will run from November 20 till December 3 and includes matches of Argentina against Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland and another randomly selected match. The price for this package will start from $4,060 (approximately Rs 3.20 lakh) and go up to $18,000 (approximately Rs 14 lakh), depending on your choice of accommodation and flight departure.

If you find that an expensive proposition and decide to support your team only in the knockout stages, you can opt for another package. Let’s say, you are a fan of Die Mannschaft, and wish to watch the German team only play the knockout games. Such a package will cost you $3,800 (approximately Rs 3.10 lakh) to $7,100 (approximately Rs 5.60 lakh), depending on your choice of accommodation and flight. Prices are subject to change and are as per data available on Qatar Airways website as on September 1.

These packages are available across accommodation options—such as cruise ships, five- and four-star hotels, among others. All packages are non-amendable, except for upgrades. Upgrades or extensions to existing bookings are subject to a fee of $100 and availability.

There are other packages from travel firms and agrregators, too, besides those from the official partners. Yatra, for instance, has a special Qatar Tournament Package, which costs Rs 24,495 onwards, per person. The five-day package includes hotel stay, sightseeing, airport transfer and meals. MakeMyTrip has a similar package named Football Fiesta, which will cost Rs 22,407 onwards, per person.

Other Costs

Food: If you are fussy about Indian food, there are many Indian restaurants in and around Doha, but get ready to pay through your nose.

A plate of palak paneer will cost you about QAR89 (around Rs 1,900), while both Awadhi murgh biryani and Amritsar styled fish will cost you about QAR99 (Rs 2,100) at The Curry House (on Al Wehda St.), Doha.

However, if you are a connoisseur of local food and live by the adage, When in Rome do as the Romans do, then you can save a lot. Prices of street food start from QAR10. There are many Arabian food restaurants, such as Al Nafourah Garden on Al Matar St., and Layali on Salwa Road, serving shawarmas for as little as QAR10-20 (Rs 200-400).

For a fine dining experience, you can try the numerous five-star hotels, but again, be ready to spend a bomb.

Sightseeing: Between football matches, you may also want to soak in the local culture and experiences to make the trip more fulfilling.

A four-hour private guided tour to various museums and other attractions within Doha will cost about Rs 7,833 per person on Tripadvisor, a travel website.

The city also has state-of-the-art malls, which can fulfil your tax-free shopping needs. The Venice-style shopping mall Villagio will let you book a boat, and shop. The cost is steep at Rs 17,591 per person, but you will get the experience of a gondola ride in Venice.

You can also go for a private desert safari, which will cost about Rs 11,423 per person, according to Tripadvisor. There are separate packages for trips to other parts of Qatar. For a slice of the history or for a natural getaway, you may visit Al Khor in north Qatar and the Al Zubara Fort built in 1938, about 105 km away from Doha, and the mangrove forest. The cost will be Rs 7,425 per person, according to Tripadvisor.

If you want to travel on your own, the Sila App will help you book trips within Doha via the metro, bus, taxi or tram. You can buy the Doha Metro standard card for QAR10 (Rs 210) and gold card for QAR100 (about Rs 2,194), according to Qatar Rail website. The minimum fare is QAR2 for standard and QAR10 for gold.

For bus trips, the cheapest card costs QR10 and includes two trips within 24 hours, according to the website of state-owned bus service Mowasalat. If you are travelling by state-owned Karwa taxis anywhere in Doha from the airport, you pay a fixed charge of QAR25 plus QAR1.6 per km. Within Doha, the fixed rate is QAR4 plus QAR1.6 per km. Outside Doha, it’s QAR1.9 per km along with the fixed rate.

Discretionary Spends: If you are shopping for local souvenirs, add the cost to your list. If you like to snack on the go, be ready to pay QAR5 (about Rs 109) for a kilo of banana, QAR2.25 (about Rs 49) for a Coca-Cola 330 ml can and QAR5 (about Rs 109) for a packet of chips.
Now that you have all the details to plan your itinerary as per your affordability, get ready as the countdown begins for the opening whistle of FIFA 2022 in Qatar.

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Cover Your Trip

It is mandatory to buy travel insurance when you are taking an international flight. However, when you are travelling for an event like FIFA 2022, you should ensure that you go beyond the basic, and cover all the risks that could arise during the trip.

Typically, a basic travel insurance will cover you against risks, such as medical contingencies, flight and trip delay, extension or cancellation, baggage loss, passport loss and others.

But this being a football event, and the fact that the audience for football matches tends to be highly energetic, there could arise the possibilities of brawls; you could even get caught in one, even if you are not involved in it. Some add-ons you could consider are sports ticket cancellation, overbooked hotel, travel ticket overbooking, trip interruption, alternative transportation costs, family visits in the event of hospitalisation, ticket overbooking, loss of personal items and others.

Medical And Accident Cover: Since people will be travelling to Qatar from all over the world, there is palpable risk of contracting the Covid infection. Therefore, taking adequate medical cover is a must.

Says Sasikumar Adidamu, chief distribution officer, institutional sales, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, “We provide $2 million coverage for accidental medical expenses. In addition, if you are infected with Covid, then the expenses are payable under the medical section.”

Trip Interruption: Do note that this will be the second major global sports event after the Tokyo Olympics to be held under the shadow of the Covid pandemic. In the event of Covid or any viral outbreak, the Qatar government may impose a travel ban and allow people to leave the country within a short period. “In this case, we will pay for the hotel cancellation charges, travel charges, including early flight for the difference in airfare, cancellation of FIFA ticket, and en-route emergency accommodation under the trip interruption section,” says Adidamu.

Conversely, the Indian government may also decide to put a ban on travel to Qatar in case of a spike in Covid cases there.

“If the Indian government puts a travel restriction on Qatar and prohibits you from flying to India, then we will pay the additional cost for the hotel stay and the difference in airfare under the trip extension section,” adds Adidamu.

Cover For Companion: Typically, if you are travelling with a companion who is not a family member, the other person will need a separate cover. Some policies may, however, cover companions, too. “We have a policy which covers you along with your companion, whether married or unmarried. You could also avail a discount on it. In case you cancel your trip because your companion is not well and can’t travel for this event, you could make a claim under trip cancellation,” says Adidamu.

Meghna Maiti

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Lifestyle Choices

Qatar is an Islamic country governed by Shariah, the Islamic law, so there are certain religious and local rules and customs that visitors need to follow strictly.

Choice of Partner: If you are planning to visit Qatar with your partner you are not married to, you will need separate rooms. “Sex is very much off the menu, unless you are coming as a married couple. There definitely will be no one-night stands at this tournament,” Daily Star quoted Qatar Police as saying.

Says Nishan Pitti, CEO and co-founder, EaseMyTrip, a travel booking website, “Same-sex physical relations between men are illegal, even if consensual. Penalties include lashing, lengthy prison sentences and/or deportation. There is no law criminalising same-sex physical relations between women.”

Though homosexuality is not allowed, LGTBIQ+ fans will be allowed to attend matches, said chairman of the local organising committee,
Nasser Al-Khater in an interview to CNN last year.

Food And Drinks: Carrying pork-based products is not allowed and drinking alcohol is strictly forbidden at public places.

Only licensed establishments can serve alcohol, but you cannot carry a bottle with you. e-Cigarettes, electronic shisha, vaping liquids, and other similar substances are also banned in Qatar. 

neelanjit@outlookindia.com