QBA eyes investment opportunities in Swiss medical tourism sector

The Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) has organised a business lunch in honour of a visiting delegation of Swiss companies and hospitals specialising in medical tourism and medical services headed by Swiss ambassador Edgar Dorig.The meeting was attended by QBA board member Sherida al-Kaabi and QBA members Omar Alfardan, Khalid al-Mannai, Maqbool Habib Khalfan, Nabil Abu Issa, Nasser Bin Khaled Holding Company general manager Sheikh Khalid bin Nawaf al-Thani, Abdullah al-Kubaisi, Dhafer Halawa, and Aamal Holding Group CEO Rashid al-Mansouri, as well as QBA deputy general manager Sarah Abdullah.At the beginning of the meeting, al-Kaabi welcomed the Swiss delegation and spoke about the depth of bilateral relations between the two countries.Al-Kaabi stressed the important opportunities for tourism and investment in both countries, noting that while Switzerland is a major tourist destination for Qataris and Gulf residents, Qatar is on the verge of organising “an exceptional version” of the World Cup, where the country welcomes the Swiss fans and tourists.Dorig highlighted that there are “promising opportunities” to enhance Qatari-Swiss co-operation in various sectors, especially tourism and medical tourism. He said trade volume between the two countries rose to more than QR5bn in 2021 over QR2.6bn in 2020.The ambassador also added that the Swiss national team's qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup will increase the interest of the Swiss in visiting Qatar.Alfardan said after the Covid-19 pandemic, there is an increasing interest by QBA members in the health sector and health technology, and that relations with Switzerland are growing in many fields, including tourism, especially medical treatment, which opens prospects for further closer co-operation between the private sectors of both countries.Dorig also stressed that the Qatari market is becoming increasingly important to Switzerland and that Qatar is the third-largest market for Switzerland in the Middle East and North Africa.He said there is an increase in the number of tourists from Switzerland to Qatar, adding that there are important investment opportunities, such as the World Cup, which is giving positive signals about the region.He said, “We are optimistic as there are investments for Katara Hospitality that are prominent landmarks for Qatari investments in Switzerland, which are in three luxury hotels that belong to the largest luxury hotel group in Switzerland, and this is a very important development, and I expect that there will be an increase in investments in the two countries.”The ambassador also said, “Both countries will celebrate 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations next year, which means that after the World Cup, we will have many events, such as car exhibitions between Geneva and Doha, in addition to promoting investments in diverse sectors, such as hospitality and real estate.”