São Paulo – Qatar is interested in investing in hotels in Brasília. The matter was discussed at a meeting last weekend between Agnelo Queiroz, the governor of the Brazilian Federal District, and Abdullah Bin Nasser, the Qatari prime minister, in Doha.
“There is a dearth of hotels, especially five-star ones in Brasília. The city is becoming a leading destination for international conventions, the airport is being improved, and so is the tourism infrastructure,” explained Mohammed Alhayki, the Qatari ambassador to Brasília, regarding his country’s interest in the industry.
The funds for investment in the hotel industry in Brasília should originate from the Qatar Investment Fund, but the diplomat said exact figures were not discussed. “There will be a committee to assess investment opportunities,” he said.
Queiroz and Nasser also discussed the World Cup, since Brazil is hosting the event this year and Qatar will in 2022. “We will have time to benefit from Brazil’s experiences with the event as pertains to management, security and technology,” the ambassador said.
The Federal District governor also met with Armedi Ahmed Alsayid, the Qatari minister of Industry and Trade. Queiroz gave a few suggestions for investment in the Federal District.
Another issue discussed was attracting technology companies. “Brasília has set aside an area for investment in technology, and encouraging foreign companies to set up operations there. We will look into the best options,” said Alhayki regarding which Qatari companies could operate in the Brazilian capital.
Sister cities
Queiroz and Mohamed Ahmed Al Sayed, the mayor of Doha, have signed an agreement to make Brasília and the Qatari capital into sister cities. The signing took place at a ceremony at the Museum of Islamic Art and was attended by Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, the Qatari minister of Culture, Art and Heritage.
To Alhayki, the agreement comes at a very important moment, shortly after the beginning of activities of the Qatar- Brazil Year of Culture. The agreement provides for cooperation in areas such as culture, tourism and planning.
The ambassador also said a delegation from the Qatar Museums Authority, responsible for organizing the cultural year, will travel to Brazil in March to visit the cities of Brasília, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belém looking for venues for the events to be held in.
Alhayki also noted that Qatar has approximately US$ 2 billion worth of investment in Brazil. The latest instance was a US$ 1 billion investment made in January: the Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) acquired, from Shell, a 23% stake in an oil project 23% at Rio de Janeiro’s Parque das Conchas.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
