Dear Omagine Investors,
Alarab Online posted this insightful piece today, Tourism in Oman – Rapid Global Recognition wherein OMAGINE has been counted among the top mega-sized tourism projects in Oman.
See the article below or by using this link:http://www.alarabonline.org/english/display.asp?fname=2008\10\10-09\zfeaturez\970.htm&dismode=x&ts=09/10/2008%2003:10:29%20ã
Tourism in Oman – Rapid Global Recognition
Edited by: Dr Hussein Shehadeh
A brief announcement earlier this year by concierge.com, a travel website of Condé Nast Traveller, one of the world’s most prestigious and influential travel publications, honoured the Sultanate with the highest accolade that every aspiring holiday destination yearns for – a place on its coveted Top 10 listing of the world’s best tourist destinations for 2008.
Oman, along with China’s Hainan Island, made the cut in concierge.com’s 2008 ranking of Top 10 destinations such as Paris, St Lucia, Puerto Escondido and the Oxacacan Coast in Mexico, Montenegro, Ecuador, Sicily, Mozambique and San Diego.
In including the Sultanate in its latest Top 10 destinations, concierge.com noted that Oman was becoming the destination of choice for the more eco-minded, adventurous and sophisticated traveller. The mix of beautiful beaches with sublime year-round weather, traditional cities that retain a genuine desert culture and one-of-a-kind hotels was unbeatable, the website said, while explaining that its annual list of the top 10 is based on factors such as new crop of hotels, protected natural appeal and with enough substance to make a journey worthwhile.
On the heels of concierge.com’s accolade came similar approval from The Today Show, USA’s popular morning program on TV and the Internet. Travel editor Peter Greenberg named Oman as an exciting and affordable destination for 2008 in spotlighted Oman in a review of hot travel destination around the world.
Greenberg, considered as USA’s pre-eminent expert on travel, referred to Oman as “one of my favourites”. “You can fly directly in, but my favourite route is to go to Dubai first, the drive through the Emirates into Oman and the beautiful Musandam peninsula, and go swimming in the Arabian Sea with the dolphins” he said.
Salient Blend
Indeed, Oman is gaining rapid global recognition as a much sought-after destination for discerning travellers. Not very long ago, its tourist appeal was largely limited to sun-and-sand seeking Western holidaymakers. Today the country offers an increasingly diverse tourist product that appeals to tourist markets from Europe to the Far East.
The Sultanate is the only country in the region to provide such a salient blend of cultural, natural and ecological attractions with countless activities such as diving, desert safaris, mountain-hiking and so on, all within a natural and well conserved environment, which is rarely found in the neighbouring countries. The country is also increasingly capitalising on adventure tourism as its key competitive advantage and the offer that sets it apart from its neighbours.
Not surprisingly, the World Travel and Tourism Council, WTTC, has ranked Oman’s tourism economy among the fastest growing in the world. The Council’s 2008 Travel & Tourism Economic report on Oman expects the travel and tourism industry to grow from RO 2.496.5 billion in 2008 to RO 3.363 billion by 2018.
The sector is expected to contribute directly 2.1 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP, in 2008 (RO 362.8 million), rising in nominal terms to RO 617.2 million (3 % of total) by 2018. Further, the sector is set to grow from 9.8 % (RO 1.678.6 billion to 11.1 % (RO 2.265 billion) in this same period, according to the report.
In real terms, the Travel & Tourism, T&T, economy is expected to grow by 5 % per annum between 2009 and 2018. Employment generated by the sector is estimated at 104,000 jobs in 2008, 10.2 % of total employment, or 1 in every 9.8 jobs. By 2018, this should total 141,000 jobs, 12.1 % of total employment or 1 in every 8.2 jobs. The 30,000 T%T direct industry jobs account for 3 % of total employment in 2007 and are forecast to total 49,000 jobs or 4.2 % of the total by 2018.
Exports make up a very important share of T&T’s contribution to GDP. Of Oman’s total exports, T&T is expected to generate 13.8 % (RO 1.487 billion) in 2008, increasing to RO 1.837 billion (16 % of total) in 2018. T&T capital investment is estimated at RO 241.3 million or 6.5 % of total investment in Year 2008. By 2018 this should reach RO 438.1 million or 9.1 % of total. Government T&T operating expenditures in Oman in 2008 are expected to total RO 37.7 million or 1.2 % of total government spending. In 2018, this spending is forecast to total RO 54.2 million, or a 1.3 per cent share.
The industry’s potential to fuel the Sultanate’s socio-economic growth was highlighted by Tourism Minister Dr Rajha bint Abdulameer bin Ali at a conference in April. The sector grew by a phenomenal 19 % in 2006 in 2006 and jumped a further 9 % last year. An impressive 1.4 million tourists visited the country in 2007, with a far higher influx expected this year, she noted.
Driving growth in the coming years are investments in excess of $ 10 billion into some 40-odd tourism projects that are currently in various stages of development in the various regions of the Sultanate. They range from ambitious integrated tourism complexes, which combine mixed-used residential, tourism and commercial developments, to upscale resorts.
Among the mega-sized ventures are Al Madina A’Zarqa, The EWave – Muscat, Muriya, Omagine, Salam Yiti and projects in Ras al Hamra and Yenkit in Muscat Governorate and Duqm in the Wusta region. As a result of these investments, hotel room capacity in Oman is expected to double by 2012, ending a current crunch in rooms.
Omran, the government’s tourism development and investment arm tasked with expanding the Sultanate’s tourism infrastructure, is playing a frontline role in fuelling this massive growth in the tourism sector.
The company is currently developing, either independently and through joint ventures, more than q0 resort-style projects with a project value in excess of $5 billion. Projects in hand include resort villas, conference facilities, leisure resorts, golf courses and hotels and the refurbishment of some of the major existing hotels.
In parallel with these multibillion dollar investments in large scale projects, the travel and tourism industry, led by the Tourism Ministry, is also pursuing growth in all areas and different categories of tourism. This approach is leading to the emergence of adventure- and eco-tourism , spelunking (cave exploration), desert safaris, mountain hiking, biking tours, spa holidays, cruise tourism and so on. This varied offering promises to offer tourists a unique and diverse travel experience.
Regards,
AGORACOM
