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Qatar has unveiled a 6,000-cabin fan village in an isolated lot near its airports, an offering for housing toward the lower end of what is available for the FIFA World Cup that is just days away from starting.
- The fan village is budget accommodation for fans attending the World Cup
- Cabins are designed for one or two people, with twin beds, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet and a shower inside
- In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel room space and high prices for the rooms available have dogged Qatar
As the cabins were opened to a media tour, desert winds kicked up sand at the 3.1-square-kilometre site, which includes a metro station, a bus stop and a planned temporary restaurant and convenience store.
The area could, in theory, hold as many as 12,000 people if booked to capacity, officials said.
Artificial green grass covers the walkways outside, with common areas filled with large, beanbag chairs.
Competing nations' flags flap in the strong desert wind, with a large screen also present for fans to watch matches.
The brightly coloured cabins, each with thin walls, are designed to hold one or two people with twin beds, a night stand, a small table and chair, air conditioning, a toilet and a shower inside.
Each will go for around $311 a night as the tournament goes on.
Some 60 per cent of the cabins are already booked for the tournament, according to Omar al-Jaber, the head of accommodation at Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the tournament.
There will be other rooms offered, at $124 a night, farther out than the site near Doha International Airport and Hamad International Airport, both of which will be seeing flights at all hours during the tournament.
Planes rumbled overhead during the media's visit.
Those staying at the fan village can expect a 40-minute commute to stadium sites.
"Most of the fan[s], they prefer if it's not a hotel, they prefer the apartment and villa," al-Jaber said, noting those options are managed by French hospitality company Accor.
But those wanting budget accommodation would come to this site and the other for cheaper options, he said.
In the lead-up to the tournament, concerns about hotel room space and high prices for available rooms have dogged Qatar, which lacks hotel capacity for all teams, workers, volunteers and fans at the World Cup.
Doha has created camping and cabin sites, hired cruise ships and encouraged fans to stay in neighbouring countries and fly in for games.
Qatar has estimated it will have 130,000 rooms per day for the tournament.
Already, nearby Dubai — in the United Arab Emirates — has planned for an influx of World Cup fans who want to stay there, where their money may go further.
"Now, the shuttle flights option. It's one of the options for the people who stay already in our neighbour countries and … they would like to just to spend a day for to attend the match," al-Jaber said.
"So this is a good option for them in a state of their case.
"If they would like to come and stay, they are more than welcome, of course, and there is many, many options for them."
There are still multiple options available for fans in Qatar to rent, ranging from hotels, cruise ship rooms, traditional sailing vessels and tents, the fan village, porta cabins and caravans, al-Jaber said.
"We have enough accommodation and people still they can come and enjoy the tournament and, of course, they can choose what they are looking for from the accommodation," he said.
AP