The Gulf state is putting itself on the global tourist map. Rehab Saad gets a close-up view I admit I was surprised when I read in The Sunday Times travel supplement a year ago that the Sultanate of Oman was recommended by the newspaper as one of the top 10 places in the world to spend a holiday. I had not heard of Oman being a promising tourist destination before I read the article. I thought that Dubai of the United Arab Emirates was the only Arab Gulf city witnessing a tourist boom with its vast stretch beaches, skyscrapers, shopping malls, deluxe hotels, conference rooms and sophisticated ballrooms besides its well paved roads, enormous airport and the quality service it offers to tourists. However, the moment I set foot in Oman's airport, Al-Seeb International, I felt an exclusive travel experience coming up in a country that doesn't look like any other. A mini-van was waiting outside the airport to transport us to the hotel, Muscat Crown Plaza, about 25 minutes from the airport. On the way I saw a country with a distinctive character with its wide roads, its three- and four-storey white buildings with their Islamic architecture, its mighty mountains embracing the buildings, roads and gardens, its greenery -- where in an arid country there shouldn't be -- which covers everything around, as well as hundreds of birds flying here and there relaxing on trees or on the ground or at a home window sill. An Egyptian road show, organised by the Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourist Authority, of which I was a member, visited Oman from 13 to 17 April. The show, according to tourist officials, is one of the principal marketing tools to promote Egypt in the other Arab countries together with an advertising campaign that will start next month and a public relations campaign and Arab travel fairs like Al-Multaqa held in Dubai in May. The road show included representatives of the public sector (officials from the Ministry of Tourism, the Egyptian Tourist Authority, the Egyptian Hotel Association, the Federation of the Egyptian Tourist Chambers and the Ministry of Interior) and the private sector, including hotels and travel agents. Road shows to Arab countries aim mainly at acquainting the countries with Egypt's tourist potential and encouraging them to invest in Egypt. This is the third year Egypt organises road shows to Arab countries. They go to Libya, Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan during a two-month period starting 1 April and ending 25 June. In addition to meetings, conferences and workshops there is an Egyptian night where the locals of these countries get a taste of Egyptian culture, including songs by Mohamed Tharwat. "This is our first time to include the Sultanate of Oman in the road show," said Anwar Abul- Ela, undersecretary at the Ministry of Tourism and advisor to the head of the Egyptian Tourist Authority. "Egypt received 16,773 Omanis in 2006, an increase of 17 per cent over the past year. They also spent 325,967 tourist nights, an increase of 23 per cent from last year. For us, one Omani tourist equals two tourists of other nationalities as statistics show that the average Omani stay is about 21 nights per visit whereas other nationalities spend only 10 nights. We found all that inviting to target this promising market," Abul-Ela said. Abul-Ela said the aim of the road show was to build a bridge of tourist relations between the two countries and also to show Omani officials Egypt's tourist potential especially in investment. At a meeting with Oman's undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism Mohamed Al-Tobi, Abul-Ela highlighted the fact that Egypt is now promoting the concept of the holiday home among Arab travellers, especially Omanis. "Arabs are now allowed to buy houses for their holidays in Egypt under the same conditions as Egyptians. Moreover, rates of apartments in Egypt are always on the rise which is why this kind of investment is very profitable by time," he said. He added that for that reason European travellers, especially from the UK, are keen to purchase holiday houses in Egypt on the Mediterranean northern coast and on the Red Sea. "We are here now to complement each other, to promote Egypt to Omani travellers and to promote Oman to Egyptian travellers," Abul-Ela said in the meeting. He said 1.8 million Egyptians travel abroad every year. Al-Tobi said two million Omani tourists go abroad. Both agreed that there should be a way of attracting at least some of each population to the other side. But what does Oman have for Egyptian travellers? Its deluxe hotels and the high standard of service they offer; its vast virgin beaches overlooking the Arab Gulf and the Indian Ocean; its old souqs that sell traditional craft, old silver, spices, embroidery and incense; plus modern malls that offer the latest international brands of clothes, watches, sunglasses, jewellery; and above all its clean air, its slow pace, its quiet and its warm people. Besides hotels, souqs and beaches, Oman is privileged to have a unique environment. The shimmering blue ocean holds a wealth of marine life -- exotic fish, dolphins, turtles and some of the best coral formations in the world. If you drive a few hours from the city centre you'll find yourself transported into a different world, from rose gardens perched atop mountains, ancient ruins, blowholes, one of the largest subterranean chambers in the world, to misty mountains and the undulating splendour of the desert. Wadis and lagoons in Oman are home to hundreds of species of resident and migratory birds. When Muscat gets hot and humid in the summer, it is the other way round in Salalah, 1,000kms to the south. Towards the end of June each year, as the khareef season begins, the southern city of Salalah is almost magically transformed. The dull browns are replaced by rolling green hills, misty woods and sparkling mountain springs. Temperatures drop to a comfortable 30 degrees Celsius making Salalah a perfect place to escape the summer heat. Every year, Salalah hold the khareef festival in July and August where visitors enjoy the picturesque landscape and are entertained by folklore dancing. History also lies all around you in Oman. This is not surprising as Oman, which lies in the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula, is the oldest independent state in the Arab world. At one time it had its own empire, which at its peak in the 19th century stretched down the east African coast and vied with Portugal and Britain for influence in the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. The ancient ramparts of Bahla Fort, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is among the most important historical sites in Oman in addition to the carefully preserved Jabrin Castle dating from 1670 and the site of Bat, with neighbouring sites forming a most complete collection of settlements and necropolises from the third millennium BC. Museums in Oman are also a big attraction. Bait Al-Baranda and Bait Al-Zubair in Muscat are two examples of how Omanis are trying to preserve their culture and heritage. The former is a visitor's centre detailing the history of Muscat over a hundred million years ago to the present. It has sections dealing with geology in Oman (plate tectonics and scenic diversity in Muscat); ancient life in Muscat; earliest human settlements in Muscat from 10,000 BC to the early Islamic era; Muscat from the first century to 1744 AD; and Al-Bu Said Dynasty. Besides being a visitors' attraction, Bait Al-Baranda also hosts local and international exhibitions, lectures and other cultural activities. Bait Al-Zubair is also an integral part of Oman's heritage. Built first as a home in 1914 by Sheikh Al-Zubair Bin Ali, it was opened as a museum in 1998 by his son Mohamed to display aspects of Omani heritage either inherited or collected. Its displays include traditional Omani weaponry, jewellery, costumes, domestic utensils and recreated urban and rural environments. Omani officials say their tourism is still a new industry. It started in the early 1990s but is developing quickly. In 2006, Oman received over one million tourists who contributed to one per cent of the total national income of the country. "Quantity was never our target. We care more about quality. We don't target mass tourism, only the upmarket," is how Al-Tobi of the Omani Ministry of Tourism encapsulates their strategy. "Through a well examined marketing process, we target a certain calibre of tourists who respect our culture, our customs and traditions and are able to preserve our environment, our natural surroundings, our flora and fauna. One tourist with these specifications and with high spending potential is better than 10," Al-Tobi said, adding that they also have a policy of limited building construction. "We never allow skyscrapers or gigantic projects. We have to preserve our identity." Cultural tourism is the number one way of attracting visitors to Oman, especially the kind it is targeting. "We have 14 UNESCO World Heritage sites that date before Christ. We have more than 500 fortresses and we are turning some of them into museums, each with a different theme. We are also thinking of turning some of them into hotels following the old Roman style. Some are already being used as open air theatres," Al-Tobi said. Besides culture and history, Oman has nature, geology and adventure such as mountain climbing, bird watching, watching dolphins, whales and turtles, old caves and curative tourism. The Desert Thunder Travel agency deals with culture as well as adventure tourism in Oman. It organises programmes which includes visiting ancient fortresses, old souqs, the grand mosque, mountains, caves, beaches and wadis. "Since 2006 we have been the only operator here for desert and sea adventures with highly experienced guides," said Roddy Maclean, director of operations, adding that Oman is very different from other neighbouring Gulf countries with its distinctive topography, climate and culture. "These are our assets." The company promotes itself via the Internet and by attending international travel fairs such as Al-Multaqa in Dubai, the ITB in Berlin and in Moscow. It targets all kinds of tourists and age brackets: young, middle aged, groups, individuals, experienced or inexperienced. "We're getting hundreds of travellers so far and we're hoping to get thousands," Maclean said. "It was not yet an industry when I started working here 13 years ago. It was low profile," said Palitha Perera, assistant director of sales of Crown Plaza Muscat. "We started to get more travel agencies and operators from Europe to visit the country. Three years ago, the Ministry of Tourism started to put the country on the tourist map after participating in major travel fairs and opening tourism offices in Germany, Australia, France and England. The government also paved the way for more airlines to operate in Oman such as Gulf Air, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Lufthansa." Perera added that travellers coming to Oman are mainly Europeans: British, German, Swiss, Italians, French and Swedish. "We also get some Arabs from Jordan, Lebanon and the Gulf. They come for both business and leisure. We are now targeting new markets from Scandinavia, Australia, Japan and India." Muscat has only six five-star hotels that target the middle and upmarket business and leisure tourists. Since 1999, Oman has been attracting big chains such as the InterContinental, Hyatt and Radisson. In the next few years it will attract small brands as well as budget hotels. As Oman hotels target only the upscale market, accommodation rates are exceptionally high -- higher than those of Egypt's five-star hotels. One night in a five-star hotel would cost a traveller from 152 to 300 euros on bed and breakfast basis. "This is understandable as the number of hotels is limited and the demand is increasing," Perera explained. As Oman is diversifying from oil and gas to tourism, more funds have been directed to tourist investments. About 20 tourist projects are in the pipeline where the Omani government enters into partnership with the private sector. Recently, Orascom Hotels Development (OHD) and the Omani government formed a tourist development company called Muriya to develop four major sites in Oman. OHD's share is 70 per cent; Oman's is 30 per cent. The projects include a city complex in Muscat comprising a hotel, modern markets and souqs modelled on the old Omani style, ballrooms, conference halls and cinemas. It also includes two resorts to be built on the El-Gouna model: one in Salalah and Seifah (45kms from Muscat) where two professional golf courses will be built along with boutique hotels with private beaches and swimming pools. There will also be a resort in Sawdah Island in the middle of the Indian Ocean where only yachts will have access. Although the number of Omani travellers to Egypt has increased by 17 per cent, more could be done to help guarantee a fairer share of the movement. In the last few years many facilities have been provided to Arab travellers in general, including Omanis, such as granting GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) residents a visa upon arrival at the airport with a six-month period of stay and giving servants accompanying them a visa in no more than 72 hours and a similar period of stay. However, there are problems facing this kind of tourism. "Rates offered to Omanis are the first obstacle," said Mohamed Hashim, sales manager of Moon Travels, an Omani company dealing with the Egyptian market. "They are very high compared to those offered in other destinations such as Bangkok and other South Asian countries. This turns them away. Our packages to Omanis are more expensive than those offered anywhere else. "Egypt gets only five per cent of Omanis leaving the country. And although the Karnak Company, a travel company affiliated to EgyptAir, offers excellent package tours to Egypt with reasonable rates, it doesn't have any offices outside Egypt so how will people know about it?" "The second problem," he added, "is aviation. There are only two EgyptAir flights per week between Cairo and Muscat and this is not enough. There should be additional trips in peak seasons or else travellers will divert to other destinations." The Egyptian government, by way of the road show to Oman, is trying to foster more tourist relations with the Omani side. The two agreed on the necessity of joint marketing and participation in travel fairs. "We might work on marketing the two countries as one destination. Travellers who come to Egypt could extend their visit to Oman for two or three nights and those coming to Oman could pass by Egypt and spend some nights there. We should also take into consideration Egyptian tourists who go to Saudi Arabia or the Gulf area in general since they could be attracted to spend a couple of days in Oman," said Al-Tobi. Abul-Ela concluded that the two countries could participate in one booth in tourist fairs displaying the tourist components of each. This could be the beginning of real cooperation.
