Perspectives of Qatari women on tourism development after hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar

Mega-sport events are promoted as catalysts for tourism development, yet women’s perspectives in host communities remain underexamined, particularly in culturally conservative contexts. This study examines age-differentiated perceptions of tourism among Qatari women approximately one year after the 2022 FIFA World Cup. A revealed-preference survey of 728 Qatari women across three age cohorts (18–24, 25–34, and 35 and older) was analyzed using multinomial logit models, with the oldest cohort as the reference group. Four research questions structured the analysis. Perceptions of tourism’s aggregate economic, industry, and community impacts did not differ significantly across cohorts, and absolute endorsement of tourism’s benefits was high in every age group. Age differences emerged at the margins. Women aged 25–34 were significantly less likely to endorse employment benefits yet were the most optimistic about long-term industry change, and they registered the strongest quality-of-life concerns regarding congestion and noise. The youngest cohort reported significant language-skill gains and infrastructure improvements alongside heightened cultural-preservation and cost-of-living concerns. Support for further development centered on attraction quality rather than capacity expansion. General tourism attitudes improved sharply after the event in all cohorts, and 98.4% of initially negative women aged 18–24 converted to positive attitudes, with the post-event advantage of the youngest cohort constituting the strongest effect in the study. Policy implications include cohort-differentiated strategies that pair experiential and intercultural programming for younger women with credible employment outcomes and quality-of-life safeguards for women aged 25–34.