OMAN: Oman Air Not Interested In Buying Stake In Air India

Oman Air is looking to grow flights into India, but the carrier’s plans don’t include buying any stakes in airling Air India.

CEO Paul Gregorowitsch said the Gulf’s history with buying stakes in legacy airlines hasn’t born fruit.

As a businessman, you are far more eager to participate with a profit-making airline and not having the legacy of the state airline, Gregorowitsch telling reporters at a roundtable.

If you look at what the neighbouring Gulf airlines have done with state airlines in Europe, you see that those investments have been a complete failure.

Today we have no interest to make a bid for Air India or part of Air India.

If it would come to it, we would team up with a promising proposition from a successful Indian airline than setting up our own or getting involved with an ailing Indian airline, he added.

Gregoroswitch does, however, have an eye on adding to capacity within the country, a plan which involves growing its wide body fleet.

India’s National Civil Aviation Policy formulated in 2016 looks to enter the country in reciprocal air service agreements with SAARC countries as well as those located within 5,000 kilometres from New Delhi.




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OMAN: Salalah Tourism Festival More Visitors Than Last Year, Ooredoo Introduces 5G Network

Ooredoo, a leader in Oman’s telecom sector, is conducting a demo of its 1.2Gbps speed network at the Salalah Tourism Festival, as a proof of it is continuous efforts to be ready for 5G.

This demo kicks off the highly anticipated Road to 5G in Oman, offering wireless internet of the highest quality at lightning speeds, and provides Salalah’s hundreds of thousands of visitors this Khareef with access to the network of the future, the company said.

Ooredoo’s network in Salalah will give customers the ultimate speed for enjoying the internet and staying connected, it added.

The demonstrated internet speeds set a new benchmark for rapid network service in the region, it said.

As a result of the new upgrade, visitors in Salalah will be able to download a full length movie in just two minutes and stream music, their favourite TV episodes, or play games with greater ease than ever before, the company said

Sixty-three days of fun have begun at the Salalah Tourism Festival 2017 under the slogan “Oman prosperity and development”.

A total of 43,993 people visited Dhofar since the beginning of Khareef Festival until last weekend, according to latest statistics from the Ministry of Tourism. During the same period last year 36,197 visitors had visited Dhofar.

The ministry also stated that temperatures in Salalah over the weekend ranged between 25 to 28 degrees Celsius.

This year’s programme includes a variety of activities in various religious aspects economic, cultural, heritage, social, sports, artistic and entertainment. Theatre performances will be hosted as well as traditional arts and crafts from 35 different countries.

Most of the events will take place at the Municipal Entertainment Centre, which houses several theatres exhibition halls, a traditional village and a children’s village.

The Salalah Tourism Festival contributes to the revitalisation of tourism in the autumn season which attracts family tourism from all governorates of the Sultanate and GCC countries.

Official and civil authorities are prepared for the success of the tourist season this year and to receive visitors to the province and provide all facilities and services that meet the needs of tourists.

The festival will end on the 31st of August 2017.

The number of visitors to Salalah during the first three weeks of Khareef Season that began on June 21 saw a decline of 16.7 per cent compared with the same period in 2016, according to statistics released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI).

Total visitors number fell to 21,110 as on July 11, compared to 51,776 during the same period last year NCSI statistics shows that as many as 7,231 people reached Salalah by air as against 13,879 who arrived by road.

Giving a break-up of the number of visitors by air, the report says that the majority of them – 5,341 – arrived on domestic flight, while international carriers brought in 1,890 visitors.

However, compared to last year, the arrival by airlines showed a 20.1 per cent increase compared to a decline of 27.8 per cent of visitors who arrived by land route.

Significantly, there was a fall in the rate of visitors until the third week of the season compared with the same period in 2016.

Of the total number of visitors, 17,908 were from GCC nations compared to 28,658 in 2016.

Visitors from Asian countries fell to 1,884 compared to 20,413 in 2016, while those from other Arab countries declined to 973 against 2,148 last year.

There were 223 visitors from European countries compared to 340 in 2016 and 122 visitors from other nations till the third week of season compared to 217 last year, according to the NCSI data.

Of the total number of visitors, 14,628 were Oman residents, while 6,482 arrived from other nations. The Visitors Survey, which started on June 21 will continue till September 21, 2017.

The survey is being carried out for the 14th successive year, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Royal Oman Police.

The project aims at identifying the size of local and foreign tourism during the Khareef season and decide the growth trends during the past periods.



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OMAN: Special Tariffs For Omanis And GCC Countries To Go Mountain Touriing

Oman is getting ready to welcome Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) visitors this summer season.

With its naturally-blessed terrain, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism is promoting its picturesque mountains, luxury stays, hiking and rural villages in the mountains.

Located a few hours’ drive from Muscat, Jebel Shams and Jebel Akhdar make up the most striking mountains of the Al-Hajar Mountains range. Jebel Shams is the highest peak in the Arabian Peninsula and is often referred to as the “Grand Canyon” of Oman.

It is a popular sightseeing and hiking area with a number of villages in the vicinity.

For luxury stays in the mountains, the Anantara Al-Jabal Al-Akhdar Resort and Alila Jabal Akhdar, in addition to other hotels and resorts, offer plush luxury with incredible canyon views.

The cool climate makes the resort an ideal location for GCC residents looking for short luxury stays or to spend time on the hiking trails in Wadi Ghul.

The hotel facility is one of the latest efforts in Oman to promote itself as a year-round destination with its mountain tourism by offering special tariffs for Omanis and GCC residents.

Oman is the preferred destination for people who wish to escape the desert heat and skip the beaches in the summer months.

The country’s mountains,Jebel Akhdar and Jebel Shams offer moderate temperatures,” said Salim Al-Mamari, director general of tourism promotion at the Ministry of Tourism.

Wadi Mastal in Wilayt Nakhal, located 150 km from Muscat, is another option for visitors looking to explore the traditional Omani way of life.

A viewing platform offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. In addition to the moderate hiking trails and the viewing platform, visitors can experience rural Oman as the area is farmed by locals growing vegetables and exotic fruit trees.

Visitors also have the unique opportunity to walk among organically-grown fruit trees such as pomegranates, apricots and cranberries.


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OMAN: Oman Wants Tourism Growth

Oman is looking for growth in its mid-market travel sector as challenging global and regional economic conditions weigh on people’s willingness to spend.

That is one of the reasons we are focusing on rural areas to bring more tourists to Oman, a senior official attached to Oman’s tourism sector said.

A tourism department official said a 23-room hotel in Ibra is opening in September 2017.

Ibra is the second largest city in the Ash Sharqiyah region of Oman and is about 170 km from Muscat. In the past, it was famous for its fine horses and horsemen.

Another hotel with six chalets featuring private swimming pools is coming up at Bidiyah. “It is likely to open in April 2017,” an official said.

Bidiyah, located in Ash Sharqiyah region, is 233 kms from Muscat and is well known for its golden sand dunes that attract tourists from all over the world.

Recently, the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) had announced opening up of three new budget hotels in Muscat in the first quarter of 2017 to boost Oman’s tourism.

Detailing the projects, the MoT said Hisn Al Musannah Hotel with 40 rooms is set to open in April 2017.

Al Salam hotel apartment, opening in Barka in February 2017, will have 30 apartments catering to the tourists, the MoT said.

The ministry also announced that another hotel is coming up in Barka. “Orchid Hotel with 27 apartments will be opened this year,” the MoT said recently.

Travel agents said these budget hotels will boost tourism in a significant manner since the Sultanate has a shortage of such hotels.

“A lot of travellers look for budget accommodation. So it would be great if we have more hotels which can cater to tourists who do not look at four or five star accommodation,” said an official of New Star Travel in Ruwi.

Oman is looking at 8-12 per cent annual growth in tourism.

OMAN: Oman Tourism Performing Better Than Other Countries In The Region

Oman is performing better than its regional neighbours in terms of tourism, a senior official from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.

This is despite the fact that there has been a drop in the projected figures for the next 20 years by IATA.

Passenger traffic in Oman will grow from 8 million to 21 million over the 2015 to 2035 period. “That is an annual compound average growth rate of 5.2 per cent,” said Chris Goater, manager, Corporate Communications, IATA.

In 2014, IATA had projected that Oman will grow at 6.2 per cent on average for the next 20 years and by 2034, it will be see approximately 22 million passengers.

“The reduction in our long-term passenger forecast for Oman stems mainly from a reassessment of the macroeconomic forecast in recent updates, following the decline in oil prices seen over the past few years. The key point is that a 5.2 per cent growth over the next 20 years is still strong and above the regional and global averages (4.8 per cent and 3.7 per cent, respectively),” Goater said.

The projection was reached using an econometric model that includes elements, such as population growth, economic and income development, demographics, cost factors, and regulatory environment. “The dip in global oil prices leading to austerity measures and a lack of new-build projects in Oman has spurred one-way air ticket sales. I think that is one of the reasons the IATA has scaled down the projections figures for 2016,” a country manager for a leading airline said.

IATA expects 7.2 billion passengers to travel in 2035 worldwide, a near doubling of the 3.8 billion air travellers in 2016, it said in its 20-year air passenger forecast, which was released recently.

The forecast for passenger growth confirms that the biggest driver of demand will be the Asia-Pacific region. It is expected to be the source of more than half of the new passengers over the next 20 years.

China will replace the United States as the world’s largest aviation market (defined by traffic to, from and within the country) around 2024.

India will replace the United Kingdom for third place in 2025, while Indonesia will enter the top 10 at the expense of Italy.

Regarding Middle East, it said it will grow strongly (4.8 per cent) and will see an extra 244 million passengers a year en route to, from and within the region by 2035. “In general, the Middle East is set to grow quickly and relatively speaking benefit more from many of the above factors vis-a-vis other global regions,” Goater said.

The five fastest-growing markets in terms of additional passengers per year over the forecast period will be:

China (817 million new passengers for a total of 1.3 billion); US (484 million new passengers for a total of 1.1 billion); India (322 million new passengers for a total of 442 million); Indonesia (135 million new passengers for a total of 242 million) and Vietnam (112 million new passengers for a total of 150 million)

OMAN: Oman Is New Favourite Holiday-spot For Indian Tourists

Oman received 17% more Indian tourists in 2015 at 299,022 than in 2014 and the Arab nation is expanding its basket of holiday-related activities to attract more travellers from the country.

"Oman received 299,022 Indian tourists last year, recording a 17% growth over 2014," according to Oman's National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI). The statistics also reflects a growth of 60% in Indian arrivals in the nation on the Arabian Peninsula in the last five years.

"The increase is very encouraging and reflects all the hard work we have put in promoting and marketing the destination in India. In 2014, we started promoting Oman as an ideal wedding destination for Indians as Muscat is close to India. Our efforts were rewarded as we witnessed several large-scale weddings in the last two years," Oman Tourism Ministry's India Representative Lubaina Sheerazi said in a release here.

She said MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) tourism in Oman has also seen an increase and the country will make efforts at hosting more such events. Muscat has recently seen growth in the MICE market and this is expected to expand even faster with the opening of a new Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in the capital, Sheerazi said.

"To attract more tourists from India, we are looking at promoting various activities. We have observed over the years that Indian travellers don't travel just for sight-seeing and shopping anymore. More young people are now travelling and they prefer active holidays and we have a lot to offer to these travellers - from canyoning to deep sea diving, from sailing to golfing," Sheerazi added.

OMAN: Omran Plans New Tourism, Hospitality Initiatives

Oman Tourism Development Company (Omran) has unveiled a raft of new initiatives aimed at consolidating its growing and diverse tourism and hospitality related investments and activities in the country. While some of the initiatives will take the shape of new strategic spin-offs, others are aimed at nurturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), local partnerships, and tourism-related products and services. “We are working on plans to consolidate our investments in hotels by having ‘Omran Hotels and Resorts’, which will be a clear differentiator in hotel investments,” said James Wilson, CEO — Omran.

Omran currently oversees a substantial portfolio of hotels and resorts, among other tourism assets. They include Alila Jabal Akhdhar, Atana Hotels, InterContinental Muscat Hotel, Millennium Resorts Mussanah, Crowne Plaza Hotel Duqm, City Hotel Duqm, Masirah Island Resort and Golden Tulip Dibba, among others. While some of the properties are owned by Omran, others are managed on behalf of others. Not included are hotels that are part of large Integrated Tourism Complexes (ITCs) or resorts developed in joint venture with other investors.

Also envisaged, according to Wilson, is a new spin-off that will support small Omani businesses and retail brands. “We are looking at creating ‘Omran Retail’ that can assist SME businesses. We know where the brands are, we know which brands want to come here, and we can bring a lot of partnership arrangements with local companies and local individuals,” he stated.

Yet another entity being contemplated as part of its consolidation efforts is ‘Omran Properties’, according to the CEO. “We are also looking to consolidate our Integrated Tourism properties under Omran Properties so there will a consolidated message that we don’t have the ITC projects like Almouj and Saraya Bandar Jissah marketed to the same people. We shouldn’t have two different projects marketed to the same market. We need to target Oman with products for specific markets,” he said. With a view to stimulating the growth of employment-generating small and medium businesses within the tourism and hospitality industry, a dedicated business incubator is envisioned, said Wilson.

“We are looking to create the Omran Business Incubator to make a meaningful impact on the creation of dozens of opportunities for SME businesses. In Europe, 90 per cent of all businesses employ less than 20 people. In the UK, it is about 95-96 per cent. Small businesses are a significant part of any economy,” he stressed. Significantly, Omran also has plans to acquire an unspecified, prominent hospitality training college currently operating in the Sultanate, the CEO noted.

“We’ll shortly take ownership of one of the hospitality colleges in Oman, which we intend to bring to international standards. It’s already catering to about 600 students per year, but we need to add to it, he said. Further, with the aim of attracting joint venture partners and eliminating bureaucracy in licensing procedures, Omran plans to play the role of an earnest facilitator. “It means providing licensing so that investors who invest with Omran or through Omran, or deal with deal, we will help you get the required permits. It will be our responsibility. If you develop on our land or invest in our land, we will deal with the government in delivering whatever permits you require,” Wilson added.

OMAN: Alila Jabal Akhdar, The mountaintop Escape

Packed with adventure, action, great music and even better vibes, the #ReachYourPeak excursion was a true celebration of the outdoors, tailor-made to satisfy adrenaline junkies and nature lovers alike.

Voyagers received the special “survival kit” packed with everything they would possibly need for the adventure to last a lifetime; the only thing missing was an adventure itinerary.

Kitted out in the best of Puma lifestyle wear and their Wildwood sunglasses on, the adventurers set out in KOI Ride’s luxurious cars for a 32 Carat journey to the mysterious ‘meeting point’.

They were then met by their journey guides and fellow travellers, awaiting to embark the Ramy 4X4 jeeps and ready to hit the road, travel itineraries finally in hand. ‘Keep Calm and Hydrate’ was the rule for the road, as the trippers devoured Essentially UAE’s delicious juiced treats.

Geared up in Palladium Explore’s boots, our travellers just could not resist taking a short detour and hitting the desert dunes. Still pumped and raring to go, our adventurers arrived at Alila Jabal Akhdar to a delectable welcome dinner at the resort’s Juniper restaurant— cocooned at 2,500m in the mountains within its starry galaxy. The weekend of a lifetime was still ahead of them.

At Alila, the group found that paradise is a state of mind: there were moments of excitement, from rock climbing and abseiling down the Omani canyon, to whizzing along the Hajar Mountains on Adventure HQ mountain bikes and diving into Alila’s award winning infinity pool – our travellers were always prepared courtesy of Praias, Havelock Bay and Havaianas.

In their moments of serenity, the crew inhaled the beauty of Nizwa, and exhaled their worldly stresses away with yoga on the cliffside, made all the more beautiful on La Vie Boheme’s state-of -the-art yoga mats, and Y Apparel’s breathtaking activewear.

After an indulgent breakfast by the mountains, the group was treated to a luxurious spa trip, and then it was back to the hustle of Dubai.

Amidst nights of fun chatter in the jacuzzi, and days of voyaging around the Nizwa mountain range, the adventuratis discovered that the Alila Jabal Akhdar Experience was ‘Surprisingly Different’.

OMAN: Countless Charms Of Sharqiyah Sands

The four-hour drive towards the Eastern Region of Oman to the Sharqiyah Sands was worth the trouble every kilometre of the way. Once you go past Al Qabil town, little villages dot the route, but the main fascination are the colourful tents of the Bedouins that flap playfully in the wind.

I preferred not to lodge in a two-star hotel but in a desert camp so I could be close to the grandeur of the sands. I had trainers on my feet, shorts, sleeveless shirt, baseball cap, sunglasses, and a drink in my hand. That was all I needed to explore around in that late afternoon.

First, I had to make up my mind whether to walk to the nearest sand dune, venture deep in the desert or take a stroll to the Bedouins camp. I decided to go for the dunes because it happened to be the largest within a 300 metre radius.

What was really fascinating about this particular dune was that it was not only about 100 metres long, but it was in the shape of a pyramid. When I reached it, I stopped on its base and admired its colours, the way you would admire a house of your dreams knowing that you can never afford to own it. The sands on its sides were intricately twisting from top to bottom in different shades of gold. It was made of the fluffiest sand you could ever find anywhere else.

It was not a steep climb but I was breathless by the time I reached the top. I could not help but take a selfie with my mobile phone so I could send the picture in my snap chat to declare to my friends that I conquered a dune in the middle of the legendary Sharqiyah Sands.

The view from the top was sublime. I could see more dunes scattered around and I was wondering why each one was gleaming under the bright sun as if they were made of metal but not sands.

Out of curiosity than anything else, I bent over and took a scoop of sand and examined what was in my hand. I parted the granules with my index finger and realised that they were crystallised with deposits of different metals that naturally occurred over millions of years of the existence of the desert. I let the hot sand roll down from my palm to cause a careless small heap next to my feet.

It was then I heard a soft sound somewhere behind me. It was a whimper of an animal and when I turned around, I saw a red fox making a fuss over its litter of kittens, just fifty metres away from me. I was not sure whether the fox was aware of my presence but she was busy licking the furs of its babies while they were trying to snuggle closer to their mother. Seconds later, the flapping of the wings forced me to look in the sky.

A white and grey eagle was circling above me and I was pretty sure I was not the prey he was looking for.

The mother fox saw the eagle, too. She squirmed, hissed and stared at the circling bird. She then quickly picked each of her three kittens by her teeth and dropped them one by one in a hole under a rock.

With the danger out of the fox’s way, I cast my eyes a distance away to the kaleidoscope of colours made up by clusters of tents — homes of the Bedouins. I also watched camels feeding on thorny trees, women in black walking around doing their chores, boys in white dishdasha playing and girls in bright red and pink dresses running around.

I scanned my eyes to the south and there was nothing but the horizon. To the north was the tourist camp I was going to spend a night and the water vapour rising and falling in the east, telling me there was a water spring somewhere there.

It made sense because the Bedouins would not choose to camp anyway unless there was water nearby.

I must have stayed up there for half an hour before I decided to come down. I walked towards the Bedouins camp, behind two wide dunes. There was a surprise waiting for me there. I usually associate desert plants with cactus or trees with thorny branches but to my amazement, a fauna patch of bright flowers greeted me as I was coming round the bend. I wondered how an area of arid land could be the unsuspecting host of beautiful and vibrant forms of life.

A swarm of bees circling the flowers warned me not to get too close when I was trying to pick one of them. I kept a respectable distance from the Bedouins tents and my desert exploration to make sure I don’t invade their privacy.

An old gentleman, sitting under the shade of a craggy tree, waved his hand and I waved back.

A much younger Bedouin, was skinning a lamb which was hanging upside down from a branch of a tree.

I also saw a woman starting a fire from dried twigs under another tree. I deliberated my walk long enough to see her placing a pot on three stones from which the fire was blazing from. Then it occurred to me how basic their lives are. The kitchen, living room, the food preparation area were all under the shade of trees.

The night in the desert has a different proposition for city dwellers like me. It was cooler and the owls were loud.

The cry of the wolves was eerie and the bats were dominating the air. In the moonless night, the sky was decorated by the glitter of the stars like carelessly strewn diamond necklaces. Yet, it was peaceful, rejuvenating and I was completely enveloped by calmness, unknown to the crude noises and the pollution of the city.