Doha, Qatar: Qatar has been named among the 20 best countries in the world in Condé Nast Traveller’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, securing 19th place in a ranking headed by Greece.
Qatar was the highest-ranked Gulf country featured in the publication’s list, placing it ahead of Canada, which ranked 20th with a score of 88.97, and behind France in 18th place with 91 points.
Now in their 39th year, the awards drew nearly 800,000 votes from readers, who rated destinations, hotels, cities, airlines and other travel experiences. Country scores were based on ratings submitted between April 1 and June 30, 2026, on a five-point scale from excellent to poor, which were converted to percentages and averaged.
The ranking represents a strong endorsement of Qatar’s growing position as an international tourism destination, with the country’s transformation into a major leisure, cultural and events hub attracting increasing attention from global travellers.
Condé Nast Traveller highlighted Qatar’s tourism growth, noting that the country welcomed more than five million visitors in 2024, representing a 25 percent increase from 2023. Visitor numbers rose by a further 3.7 percent in 2025, which the publication linked to the momentum generated by the 2022 FIFA World Cup and Qatar’s continuing tourism strategy.
The publication also pointed to the contrast between Qatar’s futuristic urban landscape and its longstanding traditions, describing the country as offering travellers an experience that is both “cutting-edge” and deeply authentic.
Doha was singled out as a major component of Qatar’s appeal, with Condé Nast Traveller highlighting the capital’s growing creative and independent character.
The magazine also cited the expansion of world-class hotels and restaurants in recent years as a factor contributing to Qatar’s rising popularity among international travellers.
The developments have helped strengthen Doha’s appeal as a destination combining sunshine, luxury hospitality, gastronomy and culture.
Qatar’s position is particularly notable in a ranking dominated by established tourism destinations. Greece topped the 2026 list with a score of 98.14, followed by Japan with 97.01 and Italy with 96.48.
Turkiye and Portugal completed the top five, scoring 94.90 and 94.64 respectively.
Elsewhere in the top 20, Costa Rica ranked sixth, followed by Croatia, Indonesia and Kenya, while Thailand completed the top 10. South Africa, Spain, Norway, Vietnam and New Zealand also featured ahead of Qatar.
Kenya’s ninth-place finish was one of the notable developments in this year’s ranking, with the African country entering the top 10 for the first time. Canada was another new entry, ranking 20th.
Qatar’s 19th-place ranking therefore provides an important indicator of how international travellers perceive the country, beyond traditional measures of tourism arrivals.
The recognition comes as Qatar continues to position tourism as a key pillar of its economic diversification strategy, building on its global visibility following the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
With Doha’s expanding portfolio of cultural attractions, sporting events, hospitality offerings and culinary experiences, the latest Condé Nast Traveller ranking reinforces Qatar’s emergence as a destination capable of combining contemporary luxury with its distinctive cultural identity.
