SAR discusses possible air link with Qatar

Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has discussed with the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to China the prospect of both regions stepping up efforts to boost people-to-people exchanges and boost collaborations in tourism once the pandemic situation improves.
In a recent meeting at the Government Headquarters, the ambassador, Mohamed Abdulla Al-Dehaimi, discussed with the CE how to facilitate the movement of people between Macau and Qatar, and the launch of regular flights between the regions.
According to a government-
released statement, Ho concurred that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was a “prime opportunity for both sides to strengthen cooperation in tourism.”
Al-Dehaimi, meanwhile, said that Qatar and Macau could jointly explore collaborations in a number of fields, including a range of opportunities available in the financial services sector, aside from tourism.
On the matter of financial partnership, Al-Dehaimi said that parties engaged in the financial services sector in Qatar had expressed interest in exploring opportunities in the markets of Macau and the rest of the Greater Bay Area.
The CE pointed out Macau had no barriers to the free flow of capital and offered a low-tax environment, adding that the city was also pressing ahead with the establishment of a bond market, with support from the central government. Noting that Qatar has professional experience in financial services, Ho said Macau “looked forward to exploring fresh opportunities for cooperation in this sector.”
Meanwhile, the CE said that the tourism sector is “steadily recovering from the serious impact brought by the pandemic,” adding that that the SAR government expects that visitor arrivals to Macau could gradually increase in the second half of 2021. LV