Young Omanis who are aware of the country's beauty had been riding the waves of expansive growth in the tourism sector as the government put more focus into the industry.
As a result, the country right now is experiencing a boom in youth-driven adventure and tourism groups giving travellers and tourists a deeper look into Oman as these youth have more knowledge of the inner working and beauty of the country.
Musandam Sea Adventures project is one example of tourism projects in which its Omani owner was able to prove its worth and efficiency. The company won several international awards, as it was classified in 2016 among the top five companies around the world and in 2017, it won the silver award among the top five companies in the Middle East.
About this success story, Abdulfattah Al Shehi, shared he started his passion for sea activities in 1992 as he used to accompany his father during the tours that his father organized for visitors to Musandam Governorate to spend their vacation in the islands and sea bays in the governorate.
Al Shehi shared that he understood that he has knack for outdoor adventures and tourism when one day, he took one of the tourists on a cruise, and this tourist took several pictures of the tourist sites and distributed them to his friends, which made them want to get to know him and cooperate with him on their tours in the Musandam Governorate. The experience encouraged him to establish a project in which he employed his expertise in this field.
He adds, “After some tours, the idea came to me to establish a cruise project for tourists coming to Musandam Governorate. I named the project Musandam Sea Adventures. The proper launching was in 2001 when I started using one ship that I purchased. That early beginning made the startup the second office specializing in tourism in the governorate."
Al Sheh said that in 2002, he received an invitation from a German company that had previously visited the governorate to participate in one of the exhibitions specialized in tourism promotion. He marketed and promoted tourism in Musandam Governorate and the most important products offered by the office to tourists wishing to visit the islands, bays and sea bays in the governorate.
He explained that in 2006, he hired a German expert in the field of tourism to help him in the process of attracting tourists and promoting the project. He also employed several Omanis and over time, his venture grown into eight people left and thus continue to grow.
He said that the project witnessed a large turnout of tourists from inside and outside the Sultanate, as it was transporting 200 people per day, which prompted him to double the number of ships. In 2012, he designed a private yacht for the project, and it was launched in December 2014 to attract more tourists. As for the ship, it carries 60 people, and the yacht carries 80 people per trip, in addition to organizing long trips for three to four days in Musandam and six trips to Muscat.
Regarding prices, Abdulfattah said that prices differ between ships and yachts. There is a special price for Omanis, so he set 15 Omani riyals for an Omani individual and 20 Omani riyals for a non-Omani for ships. As for the price of a yacht, it depends on the number of people, as prices range between 45 and 55 Omani riyals.
He added that the monthly revenues during the winter season period, before the Corona pandemic, amounted to 70,000 Omani riyals and during the summer period to 30 thousand Omani riyals, but now the revenues do not exceed 5 thousand Omani riyals due to the pandemic conditions and the suspension of tourist movement.
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