01/08/09, 00:20:53 UTC

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Oman Air underlines its commitment to promoting tourism

timesofoman.com

MUSCAT — Oman Air has underscored its commitment to promoting tourism. The airline continues its dedicated efforts to ensure that Oman continues to be a destination of choice for every world-class tourist and traveller.

The airline’s endeavour is to promote tourism by highlighting the Sultanate as a more welcoming nation to visitors.

Usama bin Karim Al Haremi, manager, corporate communications and media department of Oman Air said: “Oman is a tourism treasure. Oman Air has rightly recognised the government’s commitment to promoting tourism, and the opportunities that this sector offers, especially to Omani women. An Omani women had actually assumed the post of minister of tourism, which harmonise with the United Nations World Tourism Day’s theme for this year ‘Tourism opens doors for women.”

He said being the national carrier of the Sultanate, Oman Air continuously emphasises the need to project a positive image of the country throughout the world. A peaceful nation, with a stable economic and political background, Oman is a leading example of a country that has constructively used its capital from oil wealth, and injected it into building the country’s infrastructure to provide for its flourishing leisure and business tourism.

“The government was anxious not to promote the Sultanate to tourists until it was ready to accommodate them. Now, with an enviable infrastructure securely in place, a wide range of international hotels, and a wealth of things to see and do, Oman offers something unique.

“Oman’s tourism potential is enormous and continues to grow, and the Sultanate is ready to offer its traditional hospitality to visitors from around the world. Oman is a country of enormous diversity and natural beauty, which, while it has much to attract the discerning traveller, had until recent years been largely overlooked by international tourists,” Al Haremi emphasised.

“Our principle is to work closely with the government to further develop international markets for Oman tourism. Our marketing campaigns are carefully targeted at selected markets in order to obtain the maximum returns for the country.

We want to make sure that Oman is and continues to be a destination of choice with every world-class tourist and traveller. Even in its modernity, he said, Oman is distinctly Arabic and offers many unique old-world wonders. It is fast emerging as the hot, exotic destination of choice for well-heeled travellers wanting a unique five-star getaway.

A legacy that has been passed on from generation to generation; the art, the traditions, the myths, and the artistry have to be seen. Oman’s rich heritage is kept alive and unchanged for generations, and it may help all to understand tomorrow a little better. However, there is much more in the heart of Oman to explore, the sense of respect for time, for people, and for nature,” Al Haremi added.

Oman, Al Haremi said, has realised since the dawn of its renaissance the importance of balancing the needs of modernisation and protection of environment through a strong and comprehensive strategy that guarantees prosperity for its people. Oman is working to develop the tourism industry and give it priority in future development programmes in order to promote the country’s diverse natural and environmental wealth.

The Sultanate stands as one of the countries where tourists can enjoy a safe environment. Travel to Oman is on the rise with more than one million visitors in 2006 with approximately 40 per cent of inbound tourism from Great Britain, Germany, France, and Italy. Perceptive European travellers have been gravitating to Oman, keen to experience this remarkable, peaceful country. He highlighted that a strategy had been formulated by the government for the development of the tourism sector based on three pillars, which are recognition of the tourism sector as a vital and a major sector that should be developed, preservation of natural resources and the Omani society cultural identity, and the supervision of the government on the activities of tourism sector. “Contributing to the solid growth rates in 2006 and 2007, the tourism sector grew by 16 per cent in 2006 and looks set for a bumper year in 2007,” he said.

 Printable Version  | published Sep 30, 2007