September 1, 2006

THE CELEBRATION OF THE OMANI RENAISSANCE DAY ON THE 23RD OF JULY 1970. (2) COMPREHENSIVE ACHIEVEMENTS IN ALL SECTORS INCLUDING TOURISM, TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATIONS, PORTS, YOUTH AND SPORTS. Oman is a country of enormous diversity and natural beauty, which, while it has much to attract the discerning traveler, had until recent years been largely overlooked by international tourists. 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 is ready to offer its traditional hospitality to visitors from around the world. By the end of 2004, the number of hotels and hotel apartments in the country stood at 146 and 9,8 respectively. Work on developing further facilities has been constantly ongoing. Indicative of the importance the government affords this sector was the issue of Royal Decree No. 61/2004, establishing a Ministry of Tourism and appointing a woman as its minister. With a coastline of 1700km, Oman offers some of the cleanest, most stunning beaches a visitor could hope to see. Few beaches are private, except some attached to the beach resort hotels, or those adjoining military or official property. Weekend picnics and barbeques are popular on the beach. Many coves are perfect for snorkelling and with fairly gentle shelves, are good for children. Some of the beaches in the Muscat capital area include: Aviation Beach, or Shell Beach, which is located near the Civil Aviation Club in Al Azaiba. A four-wheel drive vehicle is necessary to get down to the water's edge. It is abundant in starfish, crabs and exotic shells. Qurum Beach, below the Crowne Plaza Hotel, is well set up for visitors and has a number of picnic areas and palm shades. When the tide is low, one can take a 4km walk towards the Embassies' area in Shati Al Qurum. Approximately half way along this stretch of beach is the Muscat Intercontinental hotel. Around this area are many jetski rentals. Bandar Jissah is located near Qantab, on the way to Al Bustan. The bay is quite secluded and the rocks at the foot of the cliffs can be good for exploring when the tide is out. Snorkelling is popular here. There is also a children's playground and snack shop. Marjan Beach, near Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), is quiet during the day, but tends to get livelier in the early evenings. It has some small coral reefs, perfect for the novice snorkeller, as one doesn't have to swim too far out before seeing the likes of clown fish, parrot fish, sea cucumbers and occasionally, turtles and rays. Local fishermen can be seen spearing cuttlefish. A wadi is a dried up riverbed found in the mountain valleys. Wadis come into their own after heavy rains, when the rivers start running again and the vegetation is restored. However, some wadis have year-round running water, with deep, cool pools in which it is quite safe to swim if the currents are slow. On the whole, wadis are only accessible with a four-wheel drive vehicle, as the terrain can be extremely bumpy. Wadis are green, lush oases of palm trees, grasses, and flowering shrubs. It is always safest to visit wadis in a group or with a tour guide. Although they are beautiful places, they are often remote and car breakdowns can happen to anyone. Visitors must also be on the alert for rain clouds, as sudden downpours can lead to flash floods, which are highly dangerous when in the gorges. Wadi Bani Khalid is about 203 km far from Muscat. It is the best-known wadi of the Sharqiyah region. Its stream maintains a constant flow of water throughout the year. Large pools of water and boulders are scattered along the course of the wadi. As a geographical area, Wadi Bani Khalid covers a large swathe of low land and mountains. Caves form some of the interesting features of this wadi. These include Kahf Maqal which is one of the Sultanate's underground chambers. However, reaching this cave takes a lot of effort and visitors should be prepared for the adventure. Springs of water are also common in this wadi. The springs of Ain Hamouda, Ain al Sarooj and Ain Dawwa, among others, are a blessing to the eye as one ventures along the wadis. The village of Badaa is a well-known tourist stop in the valley. Wadi Shab lies in Niyabat Tiwi, Wilayat of Sur, is 76 km from Qurayyat. It is easy to reach this wadi from the Qurayyat-Sur highway. The wadi combines the attractions of coast areas and inland wonders. It has at least seven pools of shimmering emerald green water studded beautiful boulders. One of the pools is in a cave where light streams in dramatically from above and there are fantastic echoes as you swim and splash. About seven kilometers away from Wadi Shab starts Wadi Tiwi which extends 36 km inland and ends at a mountain village known as Mibam. Many groves and fruit trees grow along the course of this wadi from which the azure blue sea can be seen as you climb up the hills and descend into the valleys. Wadi Al Abyadh one of the Al Batinah region's best loved valleys is Wadi Al Abyadh which lies some 30 km away from Muscat-Sohar highway. With a four-wheel drive vehicle, it will be a memorable experience to explore this wadi, which is vested in green vegetation and white boulders and rocks, from which the wadi probably takes its name. The rough road runs through the middle of the wadi. There are pink oleander trees and many beautiful birds. Wadi Dhaiqah lies in a grand canyon about 90 km eastwards from the Bait Hattat (Wadi Adei) roundabout in Muscat. As many as 120 other wadis lead to this great valley which features as a large natural park extending from Wilayat Dima W'attayyeen in the Sharqiyah region to the Wilayat of Qurayyat in the Governorate of Muscat. It is easy to reach Wadi Dhaiqah from the highway, but after 20 minutes venturing into the wadi one is surprised by massive boulders and deep pools before coming across the famous fruit farms of Al Mazarea and many other attractions. In some places along Wadi Dhaiqah, the valley becomes narrow and its walls shoot up and change into high, wonderful cliffs. The springs that feed Wadi Dhaiqah are constant and contain abundant water supplies, particularly during the rainy season, which prompted the government to draft plans for a major irrigation project. To explore the full stretch of Wadi Dhaiqah is a real challenge, but, for adventure lovers a worthwhile one. The Falaj system and water Springs Falaj means a system for the distribution of water and is commonly used to describe the irrigation channel system downstream of the water's source. Some aflaaj in Oman were built more than 1,500 years ago, whilst others were built at the beginning of the 20th century. The genius of the Omani builders is evident in the way they tunnelled into the ground to a depth of dozens of metres in order to gain access to the groundwater. These channels were truly a miracle of engineering at a time when mechanical equipment was not available. There are now over 4,000 aflaaj scattered throughout the Sultanate, with the highest concentration in Sohar. When the falaj waters reach the population, the inhabitants draw off their needs and the rest is distributed to agricultural plots according to an exact system of apportioning the hours of the day under the supervision of an elected member of the community. A proportion of the agricultural harvest is allocated as a contribution towards the upkeep of the aflaaj and irrigation ditches. Since the 1970's the government has taken steps to maintain this precious heritage by restoring aflaa7, and making them more efficient by digging support wells and ensuring an optimum use of water by introducing modern irrigation systems. There are hot and cold springs in several areas of the country. The best known hot springs are in Rustaq and Nahkl, whilst the most beautiful cold spring is Ain Razat in Salalah. The number of visitors to Dhofar governorate from June 21 to August 21 reached 259,865, an increase of 42,232 visitors, compared to 217,633 visitors during the same period last year. The statistics were released within the context of the field activities of Salalah Khareef visitors' survey 2006 conducted by the Ministry of National Economy in cooperation with the Tourism Ministry. The statistics stated that the total number of visitors from the Sultanate and GCC countries reached 25,868 out of the visitors' total number. The number of visitors from the Sultanate reached 159,770 and 97,098 visitors from the GCC countries. The number of visitors from the UAE reached 72,443, thereby constituting a higher percentage of the GCC tourism. Saudi Arabia stood second at 18,164 visitors, Qatar at 2,973, Kuwait at 2,597 and 921 from Bahrain. The number of visitors from other Arab and foreign countries reached 2,997. The statistics stated that the number visitors arrived by road reached 236,753 and 23,112 via Salalah airport, out of which 15,340 visitors arrived by domestic flights, while 7,772 by international flights. Meanwhile, a seminar on the future of investment and tourism in Dhofar governorate was opened at Hilton Salalah Resort under the auspices of Sheikh Bakheet bin Salim Al Mashani, wali of Thumrait. The seminar was being organised by Al Marqaz for economic and administrative consultancies. At the beginning of the seminar, Ahmed bin Mohammed Al A'mri, Al Marqaz, director, spoke about the rapid development witnessed by the Sultanate in economic and administrative fields. He stated that Al Marqaz for Economic and Administrative Consultancies is following up and analysing contemporary issues and studying their effects on the national economy. Malik Al Rasheed, an expert from the Central Bank of Oman (CBO), presented working paper on the role of banks and financial institutions in supporting and developing domestic investment. He referred to the potentials, incentives and investments facilities available in the Sultanate and the role of the banks in supporting and developing them. Abu Bakr Al Siddique from Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) presented a working paper on the economic significance of tourism in the Sultanate. Traffic in Oman drives on the right hand side of the road and road signs are in Arabic/English. A good network of tarmac roads exists throughout the Capital Area and similar trunk roads link the Capital Area to other major centres and to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There is a black top road to most major cities. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is recommended and also popular for recreational purposes. All cars and 4-wheel drives are air-conditioned. Private transport is available. Taxis - easily recognizable by their white and orange colouring - are plentiful in Muscat. They are usually reasonably priced, but it is advisable to agree the price for a journey before taking a taxi. Oman LNG was set up by Royal Decree to handle the downstream operations of the gas export project, namely the liquefaction, transportation and sales of LNG. The shareholders are the Government (51%), Shell (30%), Total (5.54%), KOLNG (5%), Partex (2%), Mitsubishi (2.77%), Mitsui (2.77%) and Itochu (0.92%). The upstream operations are handled by PDO and are wholly Government-owned. The gas fields are being developed by PDO for the Government at a cost of $1.4billion. The gas will be transported from three fields in central Oman to Sur via a 360km, 48-inch diameter pipeline. The LNG plant in Sur is designed to produce a nominal 6.6 million tonnes of LNG per year from two LNG process trains. At present, appraisals are underway to see if a third LNG process train is warranted. LNG demand is expected to grow dramatically over the next few years, particularly in the emerging economies. An additional process train would increase the Qalhat plant's production to around 10 million tonnes per year. The Government has stressed that a third train is dependent upon obtaining firm offtake agreements with the potential buyers. The first shipment of 135,000m3 gas was sent to Korea (Kogas) on Thursday, 8 April 2000. The proven gas reserves in the Sultanate amount to around 20 trillion m3 of which OLNG are involved with extracting one third. Proven reserves are expected to rise to 30 trillion m3, of which 5 trillion m3 is allocated to domestic industry for the next 25 years. In addition to the LNG project, a fertiliser plant is to be built in Sur with a capacity to produce 1.4 million tonnes of urea and 330,000 tonnes of excess ammonia per annum, from natural gas to export. Mina Raysut/Port Salalah Port Salalah is the new container terminal located in the Dhofar region, southern Oman. It is located close to the direct shipping lanes between Europe and the Far East and also has easy access to the Gulf, Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the East Coast of Africa. The new port is one of the largest in the world and has highly sophisticated equipment. There are four berths, each covering an area of 50 hectares which are capable of holding five cranes. The cargo traffic for 2000 is anticipated at 900,000 TEU (Twenty foot Equivalent Units). Salalah Port Services Company (SAOG) will run the port over a 30-year concession period. Partners in the venture include: Sea land (15%); Maersk (15%), government (20%), pensions (11%), Omani companies (19%) and public subscribers (20%). Port Sohar Work should be completed on Port Sohar by 2001. The Japanese Export and Import Bank has loaned RO96 million to finance the project. The first phase will consist of two liquid cargo berths, two bulk berths for an aluminium smelter, two cargo berths and a container berth. An additional berth will be built for Government use. The harbour will have a depth of 17m which is deep enough to accommodate the fifth generation of container vessels which are coming into service. The port is located close to the jetty for the copper smelting import and exports (Marsa Majees) and the Sohar Industrial Estate. Port Qaboos (Muscat) Mina Qaboos has been in operation for many years and is about to bring Oman's first bunkering terminal on-stream during April/May 2000, at a cost of US$8million. The terminal is established on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis and will be operated by joint Omani-Saudi venture company, Oasis Energy Co LLC. It has the capacity for 20,000m3 of fuel oil and gas oil to meet the needs of the commercial, military and fishing sectors. Sports and Youth The government aims to give young people a fully rounded education by providing activities and experience in the sporting, cultural, intellectual, social and scientific spheres, and to excel internationally in these areas and for this reason in October 2004 created a Ministry of Sports Affairs to replace the General Organisation for Youth, Sports and Cultural Affairs. Olympics The International Olympic Committee (IOC) awarded the former GOYSCA its prestigious prize for sporting excellence in recognition of its contributions to youth and sports and its efforts to promote the Olympic spirit and goals. The Oman Olympic Committee played a major part in organizing the highly successful 2003 Olympic Days, which were of great benefit to the sports associations, clubs and young participants. The Football Association took part, along with the Handball, Basketball, Hockey, Volleyball, Athletics, Swimming, and Tennis Associations. Youth Activities In 2003 some 6,447 boys and girls took part in youth activities, which, as well as sport, included youth camps, literary competitions and forums, plays, art workshops and science training courses. A range of social activities were also organised during the summer months when it offers youngsters an opportunity to make constructive use of their school holidays by attending camps and summer centres and going on trips to places of interest. Over 1000 young people from across the country attended youth work camps during 2003. A variety of cultural excursions, offered the students an opportunity to learn about their country's history and heritage. Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) forms a pivotal part of the renaissance taking place in the Sultanate of Oman. Serving the nation and its people has always taken precedence, with updating and improving customer services and training attaining tremendous importance. Employing and investing in state-of-the-art technology, Omantel has always tried to get the best of the world leading the nation towards the digital environment. With Global Networks Services (GNS), Digital Data Network, GSM and the Internet, the Sultanate of Oman has established a vital link with the rest of the world, opening up new horizons of investment. Lately Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel) announced the signing of an agreement with Omania E-Commerce Company (Tejari Oman) on Wednesday 9th August 2006 to provide electronic purchases solutions known as "Tejari Transact". This is a set of commercial solutions over the Internet, which guarantees flexibility and transparency as well as reduces purchasing costs. Both parties will benefit from the external resources of each other. The agreement was signed by Omantel's Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mohammed Bin Ali Al-Wohaibi on behalf of Omantel and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Suleiman Al-Harthy, the Managing Director of Tejari Oman. The signing ceremony was attended by several officials from Omantel and Tejari Oman. Omantel CEO Dr. Al-Wohaibi said: "It is a well known fact that telecommunications industry is witnessing huge transformation and changes in addition to the fact that it is tremendously dynamic. Therefore, there is a constant need to conduct regular updates for all strategies, measures and processes, especially as the solutions provided by Tejari Oman are extremely useful in streamlining purchases processes. They will help expand exporters' base, save time and rationalize costs. Such solution would also guarantee more transparency in purchasing processes. He added that the agreement is part of Omantel's effort to give a big push to commercial transactions among the Sultanate's enterprises and institutions to go electronic, thus making a big leap in the fast conclusion of transactions and procedures. Increase competitive advantage On his part, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Suleiman Al-Harthy, the Managing Director of Tejari Oman said: "There is no doubt that Omantel is at the vanguard in the area of telecommunications industry, in addition to the fact that it always endeavors to raise the standard of services and applications". Sheikh Al-Harthy further said that the importance of the agreement lies in the fact that it provides electronic solutions that aim at increasing the competitive advantage of Omantel. "We hope to achieve a lot of mutual benefits from this partnership" he added. It is worth mentioning that Oman E-Commerce Company was established in 2005 and has managed by way of its esteemed clients' base, which includes a large number of sectors and industries, to become the leader in providing e-commerce solutions in the Sultanate of Oman. Being a strategic partner of Tejari Company of Dubai, Tejari Oman provides e-commerce solutions that aim at creating a revolution in purchases processes. Such processes will easily and effectively be concluded over the Internet. Tejari services provide several advantages to users. They include reducing transaction costs, increasing clients' base and cutting the costs of purchases and brokerage with the present partners as well as increasing the Internet exporters' base. They also save staff time and effort and guarantee more transparency and control over purchasing process.