14 days in Oman: Unforgettable

When Paolo Ranzi and Roberta Bernard booked their first trip to Oman, the Middle East looked quiet from northern Italy. By the time they finally flew out, it did not. The couple had already pushed their journey back from April to October, hoping tensions would ease. They did not. They came anyway.
“We chose the destination almost by chance”, said Paolo, 54, a sales representative. “We knew very little about Oman beforehand”. Roberta, 52, who works at a car dealership, said they felt reassured by what they had read. The Italian foreign ministry’s advice was simple: follow local authorities’ instructions.
“The situation never particularly worried us”, the couple said. Friends and clients back home were less certain. “Many people were frightened and would never consider coming here, so close to the conflict”.
Guiding them was Elisa Visentini, an industrial engineer turned tour operator who founded her own destination management company, driven by a passion for travel and for Oman. She has looked after Italian clients for four years.

“I am happy to have been able to instil in Paolo and Roberta the confidence they needed to make their trip”, she said. “I believe people are heavily influenced by the media, which makes the situation in this part of the world appear more serious than it actually is”.
The couple’s itinerary ranged from Snake Canyon, Jabal Shams and Wadi Al Shab to the Rimal Al Sharqiya, the Sugar Dunes and the Daymaniyat Islands. They were most impressed by the two deserts, the canyons and the old city of Nizwa.
The warmest memory, they said, came at Bar Al Hikman, where villagers invited them to share a meal. “Nothing out of the ordinary, really. They simply welcomed us with open arms”, they said. “We absolutely loved the place, the sea, and the simple, happy way of life there”.
They said they felt safe throughout. “We never felt the slightest sense of danger, nor did we feel that we were so close to a conflict. On the contrary, we found a very peaceful and serene country”.
Asked to sum up Oman in three words, they chose “landscapes, emotions and hospitality”. They also ate Omani food almost daily. “The difference between Omani and Italian cuisine is enormous, particularly in the use of spices”, Roberta said. Oman ranks as their second-best trip ever, they said.
Their holiday photographs have become an unofficial reassurance campaign. The couple posted daily on WhatsApp Status. “Those who follow us have undoubtedly seen how relaxed and happy we have been”, they said.
Elisa says the stakes go beyond one holiday. “The media in Italy have at times created confusion among people, who have often mistaken the situation in Oman for that of neighbouring countries”, she said. “It is important to provide accurate and reassuring information, first and foremost on a personal level as professionals in the tourism industry”.

Like a growing number of visitors, Paolo and Roberta combined self-driving with organised tours. Elisa, who deliberately does not arrange self-drive trips, splits itineraries into paved roads that visitors can manage themselves and tougher terrain covered by a guide.
“Knowing how to drive a 4x4 is simply not enough”, she said. “Travellers need local knowledge, contacts along the entire route and an understanding of the unwritten rules of road etiquette that are characteristic of off-road driving in Oman”. Many areas lack mobile coverage and signage, Elisa warned.
The couple agree. “Rely on a guide, at least for the desert and canyon experiences”, they advised. “Elisa’s (@elisakashmir.it) experience helped us enjoy unforgettable moments”. Paolo and Roberta hope to return for Salalah, the Rub Al Khali desert and the Musandam Peninsula.