Consulate-General of Qatar
Consulate-General of Qatar 🇶🇦
Location: Central Plaza, Suite 5501- 5502, 18 Harbour Rd, Wan Chai
Marhaba y'all (Arabic greeting). After registering at the front desk, we were brought to a reception room decked out in huge leather armchairs usually used to entertain distinguished dignitaries (such as ourselves). Sitting down, we were quickly introduced to three very hospitable ladies, one of which was Ms. Maryam Ahmad Al-Shibi, the acting consul-general of Qatar. Surprisingly, we were approached by a consular assistant, with dates and qahwah (Arabic Coffee) both in ornate government-licensed teaware.
The Qatari Consulate in Hong Kong opened in 2014, and its mission largely falls under Qatar’s National 2030 vision, which holds 4 pillars: social, human, economic, and environmental development. In terms of the economic relationship Qatar and Hong Kong are very linked, with agreements prohibiting double taxation, and an air service agreement. We also learned that while many Qatari citizens have business in Hong Kong, barely any actually reside in the city. After a taste of the relationship (literally and figuratively), we were brought to a conference room, where we were given a presentation on the tourist attractions and important cultural sites of Qatar. Such include, The Pearl-Qatar, the Islamic Art Museum, and Souq Waqif. Ms. Al-Shibi told us Qatar is trying to become a worldwide hub of arts, travel, education, and sports. The greatest example of this is the World Cup which will be hosted in Qatar next year. The Qatari Consulate holds many events including an annual celebration during Qatari National Day, and in specific for 2022 will be hosting World Cup events in Hong Kong (both of which we are excited to attend!).
Ms. Al-Shibi encourages all students to come to visit Qatar, not only for tourism, but also for education, as Qatar’s Education City holds satellite campuses of Northwestern, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, and more. We’d like to thank Ms. Al-Shibi and her staff for their distinctly Qatari hospitality. We encourage you all to visit Qatar in the future, and possibly watch a few world cup matches while you’re at it!
