QBA officials during a meeting with US counterparts in Miami, US.
DOHA: The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) organised a series of roundtables on various sectors, including real estate, health and hospitality, on the sidelines of the ongoing Miami Economic Promotional Tour in the US.
The economic promotional tour, organised by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of the state of Qatar, in cooperation with Qatari Businessmen Association and Qatar Chamber, was marked by the active participation of influential Qatari businessmen.
The sectoral roundtables, on real estate, hospitality and tourism, health and medical equipment sectors in Miami, Florida, was held in the presence of top US business leaders working in these sectors..
The tour covers a number of US cities that have seen a flow in Qatari investments such as Miami - Florida, Washington DC- Columbia, Charleston - South Carolina and Raleigh- North Carolina.
The forum was attended by H E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce, Carlos Gimenez, Mayor of Miami Dade County; and Francis Suarez, Mayor of Miami.
The forum included two main Panel sessions as well as the opening plenary session, with the participation of more than 200 businessmen and Qatari officials as well as 200 businessmen and executive directors of major American companies.
On the sidelines of the forum, a number of bilateral meetings were held between representatives of the business sector from both sides in order to strengthen the economic ties and develop partnership
Addressing the opening session, Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani, Chairman, QBA said the tour is an important step in the development of relations between the two sides. The forum comes under a series of economic challenges witnessed by the State of Qatar following the siege imposed on it nearly a year ago.
However, Qatar has been able to overcome the various challenges of the blockade and maintain the normal movement of all sectors of the economy, thus strengthening Qatar’s position as an important trading center in the region, thanks to the guidance of our wise leadership and public-private partnership.
The forum highlighted the strength of the Qatari economy, which enables it to overcome various regional and global challenges through implementing a strong strategy to diversify sources of income and support the private sector to be an active partner in achieving sustainable development in the country and opening up to all countries of the world.
At the sectoral roundtable, the US side was led by William Talbert, President & CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau and representatives of hospitality and tourism companies in Miami, Florida including Ernst & Young Global, ESJ, Sky Rise Miami, Jeff Brixos, Nathan Matwani; and John Trons, CEO of Hanks Trading.
American businessmen, represented by Ernst & Young, shwocased the investment opportunities in Miami, asserting that Miami is among the best investment destinations in the United States and has many investment opportunities in the hospitality industry. The US side also wanted to know more about the investment climate in Qatar and the opportunities that can be tackled across the various sectors in the Qatari market.
Sheikh Faisal said that the economic Promotional tour in the United States provided the opportunity for Qatari businessmen to explore the investment opportunities in the US market and provided a platform for businessmen from both sides to discuss opportunities for joint cooperation.
