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The strategic tourist destination of Musandam has been in the forefront of Oman’s battle against Covid-19.
According to the Ministry of Health, nearly 99 per cent of the Musandam population has been vaccinated, including General Education Diploma (GED) students and staff as part of the National Vaccination Campaign.
The vaccination campaign of the governorate assumes importance as citizens and residents need to visit the neighbouring countries like the UAE and Iran and cities Muscat, Suhar, and other towns in the North Batinah for business and work purposes.
As Musandam attracts several international and domestic tourists, the Ministry of Health decided to vaccinate all population of the governorate.
According to sources in the government, the development of Musandam is key to tap its tourism potential as well as to strengthen economic relations between the Sultanate and neighboring countries.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Committee said that entry to Musandam Governorate will be allowed only for those who have received one dose of the vaccine at least for people aged 18 years and above.
The government has a number of initiatives to boost the economy of the Governorate of Musandam.
Mussalam, a local tour operator and the guide told the Observer, “We had a tough year in 2020 and cannot afford to have another 2021 washed away without any business. It was a wise decision to get all population of the governorate vaccinated at an early stage. Several people, both residents, and expatriates are required to travel to UAE cities, Suhar and Muscat for both personal and official work.”
A branch of the Oman’s University of Technology and Applied Sciences will be opened in the mountainous peninsula, while the Port of Khasab will be developed into a logistics hub with the aim of stimulating trade. Economic and tourism zones will be created, including Mahas, which will be focused on light and medium industries.
“There is an ongoing discussion on various matters related to logistics and food security, including the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology and the management of Khasab Port,” Sayyid Ibrahim bin Said al Busaidi, Minister of State and Governor of Musandam, said in an interview. He said the new projects approved for Musandam are in line with the Oman 2040
The head of Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) in Musandam has said that the enabling the business environment and facilitating procedures is a necessity to attract more investments to the governorate to ensure the exploitation of the many opportunities available there.
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