SALALAH, FEB 4 - At a time when tourism in Salalah is hitting very high, the Sailing Arabia — The Tour (SATT) has given further boost to the destination with the exhibition of one of the most beautiful coastlines to the viewers of the event around the world. The race was launched on Sunday under the auspices of Abdullah bin Aqeel al Ibrahim, Acting Deputy Governor of Dhofar. The sailing event excited the tourists, hoteliers and tour operators, as this was one of its kind events in Salalah with the presence of international sailors in the city and taking part in one of the most exciting events.
Soon after the launch of the race, David Graham, CEO of the Oman Sail, said: “It is exciting because for the first time the boats have changed, race course has changed and many tourism destinations would be showcased during the race which would continue for two weeks. Besides being a professional race, the event would be loaded with adventure, thus making it a very good mix of a race and adventure event,” said Graham while making his point for the race’s launch from Salalah. Graham put emphasis on the SATT’s role in making Oman an important sailing destination, which in turn is appealing general tourists. “We are working very closely with the Ministry of Tourism and thought like starting the race from Salalah due to the fact that tourism is hitting really very high here.”
“This year marks a new chapter for the event. For the first time in the events history, we have invited local and international sailors to experience the beauty of the Sultanate through an exclusively Omani event.
Oman is blessed with a fantastic coastline and the tour is an incredible opportunity to showcase the natural beauty of the country and explore the diverse landscape at each stop along the way,” he said.
Besides Salalah, the new race course will take the fleet to Duqm, Barr al Hikman, Masirah, Ras al Hadd, Sur and Bandar al Khiran.
The race is going to be intensive, as in those 14 days the tour will visit eight venues, and feature five coastal raids, some which go from one port to another, and five in-port races. The race yachts will be disassembled and transported between venues on some occasions.
“Focussing purely on Oman makes this year’s tour a massive occasion for the country. To ensure we show the best of Oman, we have introduced a new format that includes mix of tactical round and coastline raids.
Also new this year is the introduction of a different boat. Each team will be using an identical DIAM 24 for the first time, making the race faster and adding new challenges. The one design boat encourages and rewards smart preparation, teamwork and race skills,” said Graham.
Kaushalendra Singh
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