“Spectacular, mesmerising and memorable,” summed up Kamiya Jani about her visit to the Sultanate before the pandemic began. A travel fanatic who was lucky enough to turn her passion into a career, she now heads a start-up as its Chief Travelling Officer.
A popular social media influencer and an entrepreneur in her own right, Kamiya founded Curly Tales in 2019. She visited the Sultanate upon an invitation from the Ministry of Tourism to promote the Sultanate through her YouTube channel.
Though an influencer she prefers to be known as an entrepreneur, travel advisor or as a person who can add some positive value to all travel and food enthusiasts.
“An influencer is someone who has a good influence on the people around them,” she says and adds that, however, social media has made that word simply unbearable.
Kamiya says the Sultanate offers a perfect mix of history, nature and luxury. “The natural beauty is a treat for any tourist. Be it driving through the majestic mountains to enjoy the Omani terrain, the historic cities, or the pristine blue seas, Oman has something for every tourist,” she explains.
The Sultanate’s rich culture and heritage, she says, is the biggest boon to the country.
“Highlighting these aspects and giving tourists an experience will be a great way to boost tourism. As part of this, the Sultanate can restore ancient neighbourhoods and build tourist accommodation highlighting its heritage. Old traditional homes can be transformed into heritage inns with the best services. This will help preserve and protect the old structures as well as provide a great travel experience,” she adds.
During her visit, Omani culture and hospitality are simply unmissable. She had the privilege of discovering the warmth of citizens, enjoying traditional Omani cuisine with them. She adds that a trip to Oman is incomplete without savouring juicy Mishkak, the favourite barbecued meat and chicken skewers.
“Oman’s rich history is clearly visible in the streets, the souqs, forts, villages and the ancient homes. Omani hospitality is incomplete without kahwa and a bowl of khajoor and I was happy to experience this,” she adds.
Starting off as a news anchor, she decided to leave a full-time media job to travel the world. She later tried her hand at maintaining a travel blog, but with a full-time job, realised that a person who tries to do everything, ultimately achieves nothing.
As a news anchor she enjoyed the atmosphere of the news studio, but all she wanted to do was pack her bags and explore the world. “That’s when I traded my full-time job and a stable income to explore the world and tell tales,” she reasons.
Travelling so far to 40 countries, 123 cities and the rest of the world to go, she believes in taking adventures alone. Curly Tales began with this intention to get people everywhere to discover their love for travel and indulgence.
Besides travelling, she loves spending time with her family, whenever she is around. Apart from that, she also loves holidaying with family, listening to music and reading books. Her message to millennials: ‘Find what drives you, find what you are good at and hone that skill.’
@kamiya_jani
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