Bermuda’s push to strengthen economic ties with oil-rich Gulf nations is gaining traction.Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert said yesterday he came away from a round of meetings in London this past week “very encouraged” — and a follow up trip to the Gulf region is already planned.Premier and Minister of Finance Paula Cox led the delegation to London to visit with member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.The Ministry said the visit was part of a Government initiative targeting further economic diversification with the goal “to expand Islamic Finance opportunities and strategic partnerships in tourism development projects, while leveraging Bermuda’s leading insurance and reinsurance platform” .“They (GCC) were very interested in some of our hotel developments or properties,” Mr Furbert told The Royal Gazette. “They have a huge amount of available cash and they are looking for investment opportunities to diversify from just oil.”The ambassador of Qatar was among the Government and private sector representatives the Bermuda delegation met with.They also met with officials from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund plans its Harrods brand hotels in Malaysia and New York and Paris. The fund has been deploying Qatar’s plentiful natural gas riches in assets ranging from hotels to carmaker Porsche to British bank Barclays.Mr Furbert said the GCC officials now want to see “something concrete”, that explains more about Bermuda, its location and the investment opportunities available.He said it’s planned that another delegation of Government and private-sector officials and business leaders from Bermuda would visit the Gulf region in September/October.In a statement, Premier Cox described the meetings as “meaningful” and said that Bermuda looks forward to a long-standing relationship with the countries of the GCC.She said a round-table discussion dinner on Monday focused on investment opportunities in the areas of infrastructure, tourism, insurance and reinsurance.She said the delegation’s message was that Bermuda’s unified approach to public, private and regulatory partnerships provided an environment that is open for business and welcomes investment from the GCC region.“Bermuda is well positioned to forge expanded links in the area of Islamic Finance with the countries of the GCC,“ Premier Cox said.“Our discussions during this visit primarily focused on the growing ties between these countries and Bermuda, while also touching on existing bilateral agreements with Bahrain and Qatar and plans for an autumn visit to the region.”In recent years, Bermuda and its business community have worked closely to forge long-term economic ties with the businesses and governments of the GCC.This has included frequent visits by the Government of Bermuda and private sector representatives to pursue joint ventures, plus a double taxation agreement and MOU on Economic and Trade Cooperation with Bahrain and Qatar.The Bermuda delegation advised the GCC diplomats about a September conference in New York at which Bermuda will be participating with former US President Bill Clinton, which could provide an opportunity for follow-on meetings in Bermuda.