Muscat: The National Day holidays were announced on Monday at the time when temperatures dropped in recent days in the Sultanate of Oman. While the sun continues to be bright during the day, nights have become cooler making it ideal for camping, outings in beaches, open areas and even parks.
Earlier, the national day holidays were expected to coincide with a weekend at the end of this month, all holiday planners (both citizens and residents) were surprised to know that the dates have been advanced to November 22-23. "I had made plans for a short outbound trip, assuming that holidays would be in the last days of this month, but this came as a surprise. Now, I have to rearrange my travel plans, including hotel tickets and air tickets," said Ejas Mohammed, who was planning a trip to Saudi Arabia.
With air tickets generally on the higher side as per the airline's winter schedule, most people are expected to stay back in the country and give a boost to the domestic tourism sector, which has been seeing a surge in the number of international arrivals. Some of the places to explore for a outing of day or two including hiking is the Masirah Island, Misfat Al Abriyeen, Rimal Al Sharqiya, Al Jabal Al Akhdhar, Jabal Shams, Wadi Shab and Wakan Village. And not to forget beaches spread across the length of the Sultanate of Oman.
The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has been implementing promotional campaigns in international markets and increasing events to boost domestic tourism, apart from promoting Oman as an international wedding destination. There will also be an increase in the number of cruise ships, apart from international meetings and conferences. As per the long-term plans,the value of targeted total investments will be RO 3 billion for the period 2021-2025, with total rooms expected to be around 33,000 and the contribution of the tourism sector to GDP to increase from 2.75 per cent to 3 per cent.
Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA) and Oman Tourism Development Company (OMRAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) recently to pursue cross-destination tourism promotion and marketing initiatives between the Musandam Governorate, and Ras Al Khaimah. The agreement was signed in London, UK, between Raki Phillips, Chief Executive Officer of Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority and Dr Hashil bin Obaid al Mahrouqi, Chief Executive Officer of OMRAN Group during a signing ceremony held at the World Travel Market, one of the most influential annual global exhibitions on travel and tourism.
The MoU provides an official platform for both parties to cooperate on initiatives aimed at attracting more international visitors while positioning Ras Al Khaimah and Musandam as leading global tourism destinations in the Middle East. The agreement will see leaders of both organisations work together to create opportunities for travellers to visit both destinations, Ras Al Khaimah and Musandam, in a single trip.
The partnership between the destinations is a natural fit, with just a 90-minute drive between them and a shared mountain range, the majestic Hajar mountains, among a wealth of other shared natural landscapes. Furthermore, their intertwined cultural heritage and historical connections only serve to enrich and strengthen this unique collaboration.
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