OMAN: Oman Air Acquires New Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has taken delivery of its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner that it has on order for 2018.

This comes at a time when the airline is continuing its trajectory of rapid growth and expansion.

The wide-body Boeing 787-9 is a stretched version of the advanced long-range twin-engine B787-8.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft is configured with 30 flat-bed Business Class suites, designed by BE Aerospace and 258 Economy Class seats.

All classes feature the state-of-the-art Thales Integrated In-Flight Entertainment System which provides an even more enjoyable guest experience, allowing access to a wide selection of on-demand entertainment delivered through a passenger experience interface developed specifically for Oman Air.

With the addition of this latest Dreamliner, Oman Air operates nine Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. This aircraft will be utilized on Oman Air’s European and Far-Eastern sectors.

With the addition of the new Dreamliner, Oman Air’s fleet consists of three Boeing 787-8, six 787-9 Dreamliners, six Airbus 330-300s, four Airbus 330-200s, five Boeing 737-900s, 21 Boeing 737-800s, four Embraer 175s and five 737 MAX.


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OMAN: Oman Air Supports Scholarship For Omani Physics Student

Al Salhia

Oman Air, the national carrier of the sultanate, in collaboration with the Italian Agency for Nuclear Physics and the Research Council of the Sultanate of Oman, is delighted to announce its support to sponsor a scholarship for talented physics student Zainab Obuad Al Salhia.

The Italian Agency for Nuclear Physics is the main supervisor of the scholarship, which will focus on the study of the basic components of matter and its laws.

Nearly 5,000 award-winning scientists from all over the world, whose work has already received global recognition, are involved in the initiative.

Al Salhia received the scholarship to work on the project having been recommended by the European Space Agency.

Her work will focus on the fields of particle physics, cosmo physics, nuclear physics and theoretical physics, as well as technological research.

Al Salhia represents the Sultanate at the Space Generation Advisory Council to support the United Nations program on Space Application and is a member of Women in Aerospace Europe.

Commenting on the initiative, Dr. Khalid bin Abdulwahab Al Balushi, Senior Manager of Government Affairs at Oman Air, said: We are proud to engage with prestigious scientific research and delighted to support such a gifted Omani student. It is vital for the future of the Omani economy that we encourage the country’s youth to be technological and scientific innovators.

Zainab Al Salhia, who is currently a civil engineering student at Caledonian College of Engineering, Oman, said: I wasn’t expecting this opportunity to come about at this point, at this time, but I have a great interest in the Sultanate's participation in such international schemes and its collaboration with major European institutions focused on scientific research and development.

Al Salhia expressed her sincere thanks and gratitude to Oman Air and the Research Council of the Sultanate of Oman for their financial and moral support.

She also commented: This opportunity highlights the importance of nuclear physics in society, which focuses on the structure of our physical world, including stellar nuclear reactions, the generation of energy and the chemical elements.

Nuclear physics helps us understand how heavy elements are formed from stars’ violent explosions. Today, nuclear scientists are conducting vital nuclear research in advanced facilities for the most important fields such as medicine, materials, energy, security, and climate.

The economic impact of nuclear physics applications is considerable – the use of particle beam accelerators to process and test a wide range of products alone brings in more than RO 500 million.



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OMAN: Spread Your Wings Oman Air

Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, is celebrating the country’s Renaissance Day with exciting Facebook and Instagram photo and twitter competitions.

As the country celebrates Renaissance Day on 23 July, Oman Air is encouraging its followers to share a photo of their festivities via the Oman Air Facebook and Instagram pages (www.facebook/com/omanair).

Winners will be selected by Oman Air on the criteria of how well their photo fits the contest theme of ‘Spread Your Wings’, the quality of their photo and how creative their photography is.

Three lucky winners will win exciting prizes from the 5-star Shangri-la Resort Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat. The first prize winner will receive a one night complimentary stay for two in a Deluxe Room at the luxurious Al Bandar Hotel, worth OMR 90.

The second and third prize winners will receive dinner vouchers to dine at The Samba - the resort’s stunning onsite restaurant.

Oman Air followers in twitter can also win by tweeting their love for Oman using the same hashtag #OmanRenaissanceJoy. The first prize winner will receive a one night complimentary stay in a Superior Room at the luxurious Al Waha Hotel. The second and third prize winners will receive dinner vouchers to dine at the resort’s stunning onsite restaurant, Al Tanoor.

Mohammed Al Shikely, Vice President Marketing for Oman Air said: On Renaissance Day, we want people from around the world to visit our Facebook page and share with us their celebrations.

Through the photos, we want people to really express what this special day means to them. As the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, we are delighted to be joining the country’s citizens in celebrating Renaissance Day, as well as using the occasion to further showcase the progress the Sultanate of Oman has achieved under the Renaissance of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said.

We are very much looking forward to seeing all of the photographs people will share with us.

The contest went live on 19th Jul 2017. Winners will be announced in the first week of August.

Entrants must be over the age of 16 and any person working for companies or groups associated with organising the competition (including employees and agents of the carrier), are not eligible to enter the competition.

Oman Air’s social media channels are growing rapidly and this competition follows a hugely popular social media competition to celebrate the 46th National Day in November 2016. The competition – which asked followers to post their creative photo submissions under the theme ‘My Oman National Day’ – had a fantastic response on Facebook.



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OMAN: e-visa Portal Launched By Sultanate of Oman

The Sultanate of Oman has launched an e-visa process, which in its first phase in being made available for 67 tourist countries and up to 116 professions.

The project is aimed at speeding up the application and fee payment process through an online portal, and link it with relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Manpower with regards to work-permits, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in relation to the validity of the commercial register and the Ministry of Civil Service in respect of government visas for foreign civil servants.

The new project currently has two visa types,tourist and residence visas, Hilal bin Ahmed al- Busaidi, director general of passports and residency said that work is underway for the GCC residents list.

Once the next phase has been implemented, it is expected that all nationalities will be allowed to apply online.

This new system will also allow hotels, travel agents, and tour operators apply for e-visas for their guests online, via the Royal Oman Police (ROP) website, with the fees remaining the same.

Oman's tourism sector saw three million tourists enter the country in 2016, with predictions that it will reach 4.7 million by 2020, reported the state's news agency.

Meanwhile,Indian Ocean Islands are fast becoming the new hotspot for Arab travellers, as bookings to the nearby tropics flood in, according to regional travel agents.

Figures from the Maldives Tourism Board say trips to the Islamic country by Arab tourists rose more than 22 percent between 2009 and 2010, despite the impact of the global financial crisis.

Holidays to the Seychelles by Middle East travellers have also surged, official data shows, with visits from GCC residents by the end of September this year beating those recorded for the whole of 2010.

Located on the East of Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands including Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives and Madagascar, offer a tropical climate all year round, and have long been popular among holiday-makers and honeymooners around the world.

“We’re talking about [growth of] 15 to 25 percent a year in holidays to the Indian Ocean Islands,” said Frederic Bardin, senior vice president at Emirates Holidays. “Good year, bad year, it doesn’t matter, people just want to go there.

I think there are a lot of Arabs who have just recently discovered the region.

The top destinations for Arabs are still in Europe, but the Seychelles is probably creeping into the top 10 now.

Basel Abu Alrub, managing director of Dubai-based travel agency U travel, said GCC residents are attracted to the region Islands for its close proximity to the Gulf, and ability to accommodate Islamic customs.

Proximity is a big factor, as the islands are only four hours away.

Islam is also spread in some of the islands, which appeals to the GCC traveller and makes them feel at home.

Many hotel properties offer Al Hilal food, and they also recognise that privacy is an issue.”

Earlier this month, Abu Dhabi’s flagship carrier Etihad Airways launched its first flights from the UAE to the Maldives and the Seychelles, in a bid to tap into the growing market.

Company executives said the destinations were “highly desirable” among Arab travellers, making flight connectivity to the region “fundamental” for Etihad’s growth.

In March, Dubai-based Emirates Airline announced a 100 percent increase in the frequency of flights between Dubai and the Seychelles, with as many as 14 flights per week expected by the end of the year.

As compared to January 2010, we are increasing the capacity between Dubai and the Seychelles by 350 percent, said Majid Al Mualla, senior vice president, Commercial Operations - West Asia and Indian Ocean.

The increase in frequency is the fruit of all our efforts and investment in promoting the Seychelles across our network. Our recent campaigns have stepped up demand for the route as well as opened up new feeder markets.

Travel agents expect that airlines will further boost the number of flights to the region in the coming years, increasing demand for new hotel properties.

The number of Arab visitors to the region will continue to increase in the range of 15-20 percent, Alrub said, boosting the need for mid-level properties in particular.

OMAN: Tourism Is Very Important For Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is diversifying its economicy, tourism can play a pivotal role to boost non-oil revenue for the country.

In this context, the efforts by Ministry of Tourism are laudable to a greater extent especially in the present testing times of plunging oil prices.

However, the ministry has a long way to go to make Oman a preferred destination in the Middle East. There is a decrease of 10.5 per cent in the revenues of 3-5 stars hotel till October 2016 at RO 16.7 million compared to RO 18.7 million in October 2015.

Latest figures released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information reveals that 2.5 million visitors arrived in the Sultanate till October 2016. Indian, British and Philippine nationalities came at the second, third and fourth place consecutively where they formed 11.2 per cent, 7.2 per cent and 5.1 per cent.

However, double the number at 4.9 million visitors departed the Sultanate in the same period. The Gulf visitors come at the first place, where their number reached 74,000 visitors forming 38.3 per cent during October 2016.

The Omanis departure constitute 65.3 per cent out of the total visitors departing the Sultanate during October 2016.

The importance of the tourism sector at global level can be gauged through a report by World Tourism Organization.

According to the organisation, the tourism sector promotes inclusive and sustainable economic growth by 4 per cent annual increase in international tourist arrivals since 2009, 7 per cent of total world exports and 30 per cent of world services exports, $1.5 trillion in exports from international tourism in 2015 and 10 per cent of world GDP.

The Oman’s Ministry of Tourism is globally marketing the country as a destination for cultural, heritage, natural and adventure tourism.

However, the marketing needs to be aligned with the global trends, like the United Nations 70th General Assembly has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

It is aimed to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behaviour towards a more sustainable tourism sector that can contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Ministry of Tourism has to tune in their marketing strategy in accordance to these developments to reap benefits internationally.

According to a report by World Tourism Organization, leisure, recreation and holidays constitute 53 per cent of the global inbound tourism followed by health and religion at 27 per cent; while business and professional purposes constitute 14 per cent.

The Ministry of Tourism has to closely monitor these purposes of tourism and tailor their plan to grab the maximum benefits.
The tourism sector has a tremendous potential given the size, location and natural beauty of the country.

The Sultanate of Oman has an area of 309,500 sq kms having coastal length of 3,165 kms and highest mountain peak of 10,000 ft: Jebel Shams.

The Nakhl Fort, Royal Opera House Muscat, AlKasfah Spring, Bandar Khayran Reserve, Jebel Shams (Sun Mountain), Sea Road and Turtle Reserve are some of the tourist attractions that need to be marketed at international forms to attract global tourists and should be developed to cater to international tourists.

While focusing on tourism development project a proper implementation of Development Control Plan Framework (DCPF) which was prepared by the Ministry of Tourism in coordination with the Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs, Muscat Municipality and Supreme Committee for Town Planning should be followed for sustainable development of tourism projects.

TURKEY: Tourist Arrival Numbers Fall, Oman Air Wins Award

Turkish tourism revenue reached $3.4 billion in the first quarter of the year with a 17.1% year-on-year decrease, amid the continuing decline in the number of foreign arrivals, data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TUIK).

According to TUIK, while some 71.8% of this income, excluding GSM roaming and marina service expenditures, was obtained from foreign visitors, the remaining 28.2% were obtained from Turks residing abroad.

The number of foreign arrivals to Turkey fell to 3.8 million in the first three months of the year with a 6.4% decrease compared with the same period of 2016, according to the data from the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry announced.

About 1.6 million foreign tourists visited Turkey in March, with a 4% year-on-year decrease.

While the number of arrivals from Europe continued to decline in March, there was a significant increase in the number of arrivals from Russia in March, data showed.

A total of 565,643 people from European countries visited Turkey in March, with an almost 25% year-on-year decrease.

In the same month, the number of arrivals from Russia to Turkey showed a 145% year-on-year increase, hitting 58,654.

Most tourists arriving in Turkey were from Iran, Georgia, Bulgaria, Germany and Russia in March.

In the first three months of the year, 1.4 million Europeans visited Turkey with a 23% year-on-year increase.

In the same period, 138,039 Russians visited Turkey with a 109% year-on-year increase.

Number of Turkish citizens visited abroad increased by 4%

In this quarter number of Turkish citizens visited abroad increased by 4% compared to same quarter of previous year and reached to 1 million 897 thousand 554. Average expenditure was $ 451 per capita.

Meanwhile, Oman Air, the National Carrier of Sultanate of Oman, is celebrating the latest in a string of prestigious wins, following the presentation to the airline of the ‘Best Arab Air Carrier supporting Arab Tourism’ award.

The 2017 Arab Tourism Media Awards ceremony organised by the Arab Centre for Tourism Media was held at Roda Al Bustan Hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

On behalf of Oman Air, Mahfood Al Harthi, Senior Vice President Sales (GCC, Middle East and Africa) of Oman Air received the award and commented:

“Oman Air is pleased and proud to accept the ‘Best Arab Air Carrier supporting Arab Tourism’ award and we would like to thank the judges and everyone else at the Arab Tourism Media Awards for this accolade.

Since last year, Oman Air saw the introduction of 11 aircrafts joining the airline's fleet. And with the addition of the new aircraft Oman Air’s fleet currently stands at 52.

This will not only offer more people a superlative passenger experience, but also enable even more people to visit Oman and discover for themselves the unique beauty and timeless culture of this wonderful country, which is increasingly renowned at an international level as a distinguished tourist destination.”

The airline continues to be recognised for its award winning on board experience; winning an array of industry awards in 2016 to add to its growing collection and continue its progress to becoming a successful, sustainable company of the highest quality: “To Become the Best.”

Recently, the National Carrier has been voted recently the ‘Best In-Flight Duty Free’ provider in the Middle East by readers of the German passenger services industry publication, Pax International Magazine.

In addition, awards in 2016 include World’s Leading Airline – Economy Class at the World Travel Awards in the Maldives, and Foreign Airline of the Year by Sector to the Middle East at the annual KLIA Awards, introduced in 2006 to recognize the best in Malaysian aviation industry.

The coveted Signum Virtutis, the seal of excellence, from the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards 2016 and winner for the best airline in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

The accolades are not limited to the passenger operation; Oman Air Cargo was also awarded “Best Cargo Airline for Valuable Goods – North and East” at the India Cargo Awards 2016 held in Delhi.

OMAN: Oman Air Providing Roja Perfumes On Board

Oman Air, the national airline for the Sultanate of Oman, will be adding to its exclusive portfolio of on-board products with a brand new collaboration with Roja Perfumes exclusively available to First and Business Class guests.

These exquisite perfumes will join an impressive arrange of hand-picked cosmetics, perfumes and accessories available on Oman Air.

On a special event under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Hamad Bin Thuwaini Al Said, the new perfume, ‘Amber Aoud’ from Roja, was inaugurated on March 22nd and attended by distinguished guests as well as media representatives, together with senior officials from Oman Air and Muscat Duty Free.

Abdulaziz Al Raisi Executive Vice President, Product and Brand Development said: “Oman Air is delighted to be able to offer our guests the opportunity to buy the exclusive Amber Aoud perfume from Roja.

The brand is an excellent fit with our own quality product, having carved out a niche for itself as being one of the finest perfumes available. Here at Oman Air we work very hard to ensure that we are providing our guests with the absolute best and that which encompasses every detail of their on-board experience including the products that we sell on our aircraft.”

Oman Air Sinbad Gold, Silver and Blue members who purchase Roja Parfums onboard will receive an exclusive discount of 10%, 7% and 5% respectively.

Roja Perfumes, created by English born Roja Dove in 2001 are famous for using only the best quality materials and have established themselves as the finest perfumes in the world. The perfumer Dove is renowned for having one of the world’s most famous noses.

Each Roja Parfums flacon is hand finished with bottles manufactured in France and made from only the purest and clearest glass. The gold detail on the glass is screen-printed by hand in England through a process that takes three days to complete.

Each perfume cap, the symbol of Roja Parfums, is set by hand using fourteen Swarovski crystals in a process that takes five days to finish. The scents are only available in some of the world’s finest department stores, including London’s famous Harrods.

Oman Air’s Product and Brand Development team is highly trained in selecting each individual product available on board the airline. A great deal of care and in-depth research is undertaken to ensure that they reflect the award-winning standards of the airline and Oman Air’s unique personality and on-board service are enforced.

OMAN: Swissport International Ltd. For Ground Handling At Muscat International Airport

During an intense four month selection process carried out by Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC) Swissport not only demonstrated its commitment to establish a presence in Oman, but also displayed its professional approach to improve passenger services at Muscat Airport in the Sultanate of Oman.


With the new Muscat airport terminal opening, there is likely to be a passenger growth between five and ten per cent with people travelling from Russia and other European countries. They now can rely on the services Swissport will be offering.

Sheikh Aimen al Hosni, Chief Executive Officer at Oman Airport Management Company (OAMC), is convinced: “The Muscat Airport will position the Sultanate as a modern and attractive hub for travelers transiting through the region”.

And Mark Skinner, Senior Vice President Ground Handling Middle East and Africa, says: “Swissport is particularly proud of being selected to contribute to the further development at Muscat International Airport with Oman being the second GCC country in which Swissport will operate following the start-up in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in May 2016”.

Swissport International Ltd. provides ground services for around 230 million passengers and handles 4.1 million tonnes of cargo a year on behalf of some 835 client-companies in the aviation sector.

With a workforce of around 61,000 personnel, Swissport is active at more than 280 stations in 48 countries across five continents, and generates consolidated operating revenue of CHF 3.0 billion.

OMAN: Oman Misses Out On Japanese Tourists Because Of Lack Of Direct Flights To Japan

Absence of direct flights is affecting the bilateral tourism relations between the Sultanate and Japan, which would otherwise be flourishing, according to a group of travel agents from Bangkok. Nearly thirty travel agents from Thailand flew in to Oman seeking better options to bring in more Japanese tourists to the country but it has been learnt that lack of direct connectivity is hampering the holiday dreams of Japanese.

“We are in talks with both sides, Oman and Japanese authorities but technical reasons such as aircraft availability, route availability and parking availability are some of the reasons sited,” Mitsugu Saito (pictured), Ambassador of Japan to Oman told the Observer.

Japanese passengers have options to fly with Oman Air, Emirates, Qatar Airways which are operating connection flights.
“At the moment, Japanese tourists have the options of flying via Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Doha, but they are unwilling to change equipment and spend time at the airport.”

“Although the whole flight is some 11 hours and some are via Bangkok which is consuming 3 to 4 hours more than the direct ones, there can be substantial change if direct service is established between the two countries,” Saito added.

“Since I joined this mission, there were questions as to why more Japanese tourists were not coming to Oman and I used some of my contacts in Thailand to get these travel agents sponsored by Oman Air and they are here to seek ways of improving the tourism relations between the two.”

“Oman has some of the rich touristic attractions such as mountains, sea and deserts along with traditional Arabic heritage and hospitality which are much appealing to the Japanese and we are marketing them in Tokyo.”

Last year, there was a high delegation visit from Oman to Japan and the delegation too felt the necessity of having direct flight services between the two countries.

“Around 60,000 Japanese live in Bangkok and they fly to Oman for holidays and the diplomatic mission in Muscat feels that there’s acute necessity to have direct services. NTT too has consented to extent their services if direct services are established.”

“I hope let’s do something to this by the next holiday season December to January,” he added. Ambassador further said that the present strategic approach that the embassy adopted was that, many tourists visit neighbouring Dubai and it is promoting Oman along with other regional countries in Tokyo.”

The second step is to promote Oman as part of other countries for a reasonable price. “We thus approached the headquarter to include Musandam as part of the regional tourism packages and it is doing very well”.

“We spoke to different carriers and we are expecting a positive result soon. Oman Air is increasing their destinations and services and we hope a direct service is in the pipeline.”

Some Japanese companies are involved in Oman’s Independent Projects (IPP) and Independent Water Projects (IWP) in Oman and Japanese brands have a strong base of automotive and other sectors here.

OMAN: Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas Will Open 2 Resorts In Oman By Mid-2016

Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is set to open two luxury resorts in the Sultanate of Oman in mid-2016—Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort in the north east of Oman and Al Baleed Resort - Salalah by Anantara in the southern province of Dhofar.

Robert Kunkler, COO, Minor Hotel Group said, “The opening of not one but two Anantara Resorts in the Sultanate of Oman in mid-2016 is a huge milestone for the brand and reflects our rapid growth in the region.

Oman is known worldwide for its spectacular natural beauty and heart-felt hospitality and the team at Anantara are passionate about connecting guests to the world’s most exciting locations and people through personal experiences, so it is a natural home for us. Both resorts will be very unique, very luxurious and will offer the very best in hospitality in Al Jabal Al Akhdar and Salalah.”

SAUDI ARABIA: Promoting Tourism In EP

A few days ago, an important and interesting convention was held in Dammam. The convention was about the role of conventions and exhibitions in developing trade and industry in the Eastern Province (EP).

The forum was held under the patronage of EP Gov. Prince Saud bin Naif and Prince Sultan bin Salman, president and chairman of the Board of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTNH).

Male and female members of the business community from all across the Kingdom attended the event to hear and see the many ways to promote an industry.

Holding exhibitions and conventions in the Kingdom and especially in the Eastern Province will have many benefits for the Kingdom and these benefits are not only economical, but also boost Kingdom’s global image and to educate people about the latest developments in their respective areas of interest.

The Eastern Province is one of the 13 provinces of the Kingdom and covers almost one-third of the total area of Saudi Arabia. It is as large as the US state of Texas with a population of more than four million. And most important is that the Eastern Province has a lot to offer when it comes to the tourism sector because of its beautiful beaches, historical sites and industrial complexes.

Many areas in the Eastern Province are of huge historical and archeological importance. Many of the sites date back to thousands of years. More than 3,000 years ago, the area became one of the most important parts of the world at the time when it connected many civilizations and connected the East to the West.

The area is a witness to the old ways of connecting people together when Dilmun civilization was in parallel with Mesopotamia. And the area saw many historical events such as the overtaking of the Sumerians by the Akkadians in 1792 BC. And in the modern days of Saudi Arabia, the Eastern Province played a very big role in transforming the Kingdom into a modern state due to the discovery of oil.

Places and cities like Al-Ahsa, Jubail, Qatif, and Dhahran can become huge economic and industrial tourist attractions. There are miles of green areas with beautiful palm trees in Al-Ahasa or Qatif and there are the most beautiful beaches on the Arabian Gulf Shores. And one should not forget the huge industrial plants in Ras Tanurah and Jubail. In other words, tourism in the Eastern Province if utilized can be both well time spent and very educational.

The Eastern Province is situated close to all the Gulf States. The province stretches from north to south touching Kuwait and Sultanate of Oman and it is also connected with the Kingdom of Bahrain by a modern causeway. This unique geographical location gives it an edge over many other Saudi provinces.

It is important to promote conventions and international exhibitions in the Eastern Province.
The authorities should make efforts to promote such events by streamlining visa procedures so that foreign delegates can obtain visas without difficulty. It is in the interest of the Kingdom.