By Kaushalendra Singh — SALALAH: Jan 16 - The southernmost city of the Sultanate is hogging the international limelight not only due to increased frequency of charter flights and cruise ships, but also due to interest shown by different countries to look for investment opportunities in other sectors as well. The ambassadors of the European Union (EU) countries represented in Oman as well as the Ambassador of Switzerland paid a two-day visit to Salalah and met Mohammed bin Sultan bin Hamoud al Busaidy, Minister of State and Governor of Dhofar. They held series of meetings with the officials of the Salalah chapter of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industries (OCCI), Ministry of Tourism, Salalah Free Zone and Port of Salalah.
A total of 11 embassy representatives attended the meetings to explore the possibilities in all the possible sectors.
Said bin Salim bin Ali Rafeet, Assistant Director General of Dhofar Tourism, held a meeting with the envoys and respective representatives and explained to them the avenues in the tourism sector in Dhofar.
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, Ali Rafeet said that the discussions were mainly about the potential of Salalah in tourism sector. “Our discussion was based mainly on the scope of tourism. They wanted us to elaborate on the possibilities while we explained our requirements in training and upgrading tourism facilities.”
“All the envoys were appreciative of the potential that Salalah stores for future investors, as feedback from the visiting tourists and current investors is very positive. On our part, we assured them all possible facilities to increase the number of tourists from European countries,” he said.
“One of the ambassadors came out with the idea of setting up of a tourism college in Salalah due to its vastness and requirement for the locals in the areas of tour guides and other hospitality requirements,” said Ali Rafeet.
Barbara Joziasse, Ambassador of the Netherlands and current local president of the EU hailed Salalah and Dhofar as “very beautiful and wonderful place in the region.”
Juan Jose Urtasun, Ambassador of Spain, expressed willingness to explore promising sectors like renewable energy, tourism, and logistics in Dhofar. “The EU is ready to share with the Dhofar region not only its experience but also its know-how in very promising sectors as renewable energy, tourism, or logistics. European companies are not only world leaders in these sectors but have already shown their willingness to contribute to add value in the region.”
The ambassadors also visited two archaeological sites near Salalah, where an Italian team of archaeologists is currently helping to uncover the history of the frankincense trade. Giorgio Visetti, Ambassador of Italy, noted connection between Europe and Oman and said: “Both Omanis and Europeans are proud of their history. It is great to see that we are working together to learn more about the past.”
Increased tourism was also one of the points highlighted during the visit. Hans-Christian Freiherr von Reibnitz, Ambassador of Germany, expressed happiness over successful charter operations between Germany and Salalah and said: “We now have direct flights from Germany to Salalah twice a week, bringing in thousands of tourists per year. That is a great stimulus for the local economy.”
Jonathan Wilks, Ambassador of the UK, hailed impressive growth of Port of Salalah over the last few years. “It is impressive to see the growth of the port, especially when it comes to transshipment.”
Roland Dubertrand, Ambassador of France, termed PoS important from security point of view. Andreas Panayiotou, Ambassador of Cyprus, stated the visit a great success and thanked “the generous and friendly people of Oman, especially our kind hosts in Salalah for making this visit possible.”
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