Headlines have been generated ever since Qatar was awarded the FIFA World Cup in 2010.

It wasn't just as it was the first Middle Eastern country to host the tournament, one whose national team had never qualified before, and where summer temperatures averaged 35 degrees Celsius, there were allegations of corruption and since then reports have

emerged of migrant workers on construction projects being badly treated, as well as concerns

about human rights. But once the tournament starts, Qatar is hoping putting the country on

the world stage will attract millions more visitors each year. Things will pick up year on year, reaching hopefully 6 to 7 million by the end of the decade.

And neighboring countries are hoping that translates to more tourism revenue for them as well.

When they announced the World Cup, they said that this is the World Cup for all the Arabs, not only for Qatar.

This is the most expensive World Cup ever staged,

with the oil and gas-rich nation having spent billions on infrastructure and stadiums.

Will they recoup the $220 billion investment?

It's extraordinarily unlikely.

And in fact, the investment goes beyond the 220 billion

because you're going to have to maintain the soccer stadiums.

Will it all be worth it? That's today's Business Daily on the BBC World Service with me,

Hannah Buley.

We're travelling back in time just under 100 years to a small country in the Middle East.

You're standing on a white, sandy beach, the turquoise gulf stretching out in front of you.

Dow's, the traditional boats, bob in the water, with pearl divers jumping off the side to find their treasure.

The industry, which created jobs and income for the

majority of the 27,000 strong population, is past its heyday, with a decline in global prices

on the horizon. The state is a British protectorate and is hit by poverty, food shortages and

economic decline during the years of the Great Depression and the Second World War.

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