Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar's "World Cup wonders" have earned Doha a place in TIME magazine's list of the world’s greatest places of 2022.
"An oasis of luxury and excess, Qatar is replete with remnants of ancient civilizations and desert landscapes juxtaposed with ultramodern skyscrapers and designer boutiques. This year, Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and Doha has gone all out to meet visitor demand. One hundred hotels are scheduled to open this year: Le Royal Méridien Doha is designed to evoke the Place Vendôme in Paris, the posh Chedi Katara Hotel and Resort sits right on the beach, and the all-suite Fairmont and Raffles Doha coexists with the 80,000-seat flagship stadium in the iconic U-shaped Katara Tower in Lusail," the magazine said.
"Building on the architecturally stunning sports stadiums, the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, one of the largest museums of its kind, opened in March. An updated Museum of Islamic Art is also on track to debut later this year," it added.
The list also includes Ras Al Khaimah, UAE; Park City, Utah; Seoul; Great Barrier Reef, Australia; Ahmedabad city and the state of Kerala, India; The Arctic; Valencia, Spain; Trans Bhutan Trail, Bhutan; International Space Station; Bogota; Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia; Istanbul and Kigali, Rwanda
“As persistent as the challenges of life in 2022 is the hope that understanding and human connection can be found through travel. So, with much of the global population now vaccinated against COVID-19, world travellers are again hitting the road—and the skies. The hospitality industry is reopening and excited to safely welcome them and revitalise local communities,” TIME said on Tuesday.
The list was compiled by its international network of correspondents and contributors, and, says TIME in a statement, "with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences."
The 50 destinations to make the cut include both classic big-hitters and less-explored spots, but what unites them is that they are "thriving, growing and changing," says TIME, "charting a path to economic recovery" and "investing in sustainability."
The publication said that to compile this list of the World’s Greatest Places, the top spots to visit this year, TIME solicited nominations of places from its international network of correspondents and contributors, “with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.”
