The State of Qatar is a small country in the Middle East entirely occupying a peninsula in the Persian Gulf. Its nearest neighbours are the tiny island nation of Bahrain to the north west, Saudi Arabia to the west and south and the United Arab Emirates to the south east. Qatar's oil and natural gas reserves have made the country enormously wealthy leading to a business oriented, stable country of 1.7 million people. Strangely, of that population only 300,000 or so are native Qatari, giving a good indication of the international nature of this Arabian state.

From a tourist point of view Qatar has also largely focused on business visitors although there are still plenty of interesting attractions and sights to see. The capital city, Doha will be many visitors first stop and is located on the western coastline of the peninsula. The city is home to 1 million people and has an excellent transport infrastructure and such cultural institutions as the Museum of Islamic Art. Serviced apartments in Qatar are also available in the beach resorts of Al Ghariya and Dukhan, as well as the cultural cities of Abu Sidrah and Al-Aturiyah. Although generally business oriented, the milder average temperatures during the winter make it an alternative getaway destination.