AFP, Muscat :
From desert camping to luxury hotels, turtle-watching, and even the Arabian Peninsula’s first Italian-style opera house, Oman is hoping to carve out a place on the global tourist track. Heavily reliant on energy exports, the tiny Gulf sultanate is keen to diversify its economy, especially as the drop in global oil prices begins to bite.
But despite its natural beauty and rich culture, Oman’s tourism industry has a long way to go.
“Oman reflects the true Arabian history and culture,” said Amina al-Balushi, an assistant director with the tourism ministry.
“We really need to capitalise on this,” she said, adding that the ministry is preparing a 25-year tourism strategy to be unveiled next year. Western tourists like 46-year-old Marc Jost, who has made five trips to Oman, need no convincing.
“I can’t get enough,” the Swiss visitor told AFP as he strolled in the Mutrah Souk, a historic covered market in the capital Muscat. “The weather is always good. People are very nice.”
Bordering Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and violence-wracked Yemen, Oman has been an island of stability under Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled since overthrowing his father in a bloodless coup in 1970. Qaboos, now 74, has won praise at home and abroad for transforming a former backwater into a modern state. In 2011, Oman was caught up in the Arab Spring protest movement which touched much of the region.
Several civilians died in demonstrations that shook the government, leading Qaboos to implement a series of reforms and to arrest scores of activists.
From desert camping to luxury hotels, turtle-watching, and even the Arabian Peninsula’s first Italian-style opera house, Oman is hoping to carve out a place on the global tourist track. Heavily reliant on energy exports, the tiny Gulf sultanate is keen to diversify its economy, especially as the drop in global oil prices begins to bite.
But despite its natural beauty and rich culture, Oman’s tourism industry has a long way to go.
“Oman reflects the true Arabian history and culture,” said Amina al-Balushi, an assistant director with the tourism ministry.
“We really need to capitalise on this,” she said, adding that the ministry is preparing a 25-year tourism strategy to be unveiled next year. Western tourists like 46-year-old Marc Jost, who has made five trips to Oman, need no convincing.
“I can’t get enough,” the Swiss visitor told AFP as he strolled in the Mutrah Souk, a historic covered market in the capital Muscat. “The weather is always good. People are very nice.”
Bordering Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and violence-wracked Yemen, Oman has been an island of stability under Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled since overthrowing his father in a bloodless coup in 1970. Qaboos, now 74, has won praise at home and abroad for transforming a former backwater into a modern state. In 2011, Oman was caught up in the Arab Spring protest movement which touched much of the region.
Several civilians died in demonstrations that shook the government, leading Qaboos to implement a series of reforms and to arrest scores of activists.
