Haider Al lawati -
haiderdawood@hotmail.com -
The government pays great attention to the tourism sector as one of the important sectors in the country’s economic diversification policy, leading to the establishment of qualitative tourism projects that have helped promote internal and external tourism in the past two decades.
Since the country encompasses the region’s most unique tourism assets, its development and provision of services and facilities will serve as a backbone for their continuation and sustainability, transforming them into year-round tourist attractions.
Many Omani cities have deep-rooted history of civilisation and culture, and have become a main destination for thousands of tourists.
Muttrah, for example, enjoys various tourist attractions such as castles, souqs, old mosques and shopping malls, with a number of museums nearby such as the Military Museum, National Museum, Currency Museum and Beit Al Zubair Museum besides other tourist establishments.
To take advantage of this, the Sultanate, represented by Oman Tourism Development Company (OMRAN), decided to draw up a plan to establish Mina Sultan Qaboos Tourist Waterfront Project through a joint agreement with DAMAC Properties to create a comprehensive and multipurpose tourist waterfront.
Signing an agreement with the strategic development partner is an important step in line with the company’s plan to develop this vital tourism project. This partnership, estimated at $1 billion, will contribute in transforming Mina Sultan Qaboos into a main tourist destination not only across the region, but also globally.
The project comprises a constellation of structures, including hotels, residential units, restaurants, retail shops, recreational facilities and other service facilities for the local community.
The project is expected to contribute to the development of the city’s infrastructure in addition to achieving socioeconomic benefits for the local community in general.
The partnership between OMRAN and DAMAC transpired due to the latter’s extensive experience in the development of residential projects in various major markets worldwide, making it the most appropriate partner for the development of Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront Project.
The partnership reflects OMRAN’s efforts in mobilising investment in the Sultanate through the development of tourist destinations at a global level, contributing to the national economy and the activation of the national strategy for tourism, yielding socioeconomic benefits for the Sultanate.
The waterfront is expected to be one of the most unique tourist destinations in the Sultanate, given the picturesque nature and ancient features of Muttrah. It will also provide opportunities to enhance the presence of small and medium enterprises, estimated at 12,000 direct and 7,000 indirect opportunities at the completion of the project.
Mina Sultan Qaboos Waterfront Project is in line with the government’s directives to diversify sources of income and drive tourism growth in the capital Muscat over the upcoming decades.
The project will be built on a total area of 64 hectares and will include six 3, 4 and 5-star hotels, apartment units, retail shops, offices, parks, a marine biology exhibition, a marina for tourist ships and yachts as well as other tourist facilities. Divided into four phases, the project will commence its first phase this year.
The project will complete the implementation of the fourth phase, which will include the establishment of many hotels, other logistics services, a sports club and a residential complex for employees in the Waterfront. The construction work for all phases of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
To accommodate the increasing number of visitors to the waterfront, a car park will be equipped to accommodate 6,000 vehicles on an area of 197,000 square metres. The area to be developed is estimated at 45,000,000 square metres or 70 per cent of the total area of the project plan.
In the next phase, a port-developing company will be established through partnership between the government, represented by OMRAN with 51 per cent, while the remaining 49 per cent will be allocated to investors from investment pension funds and the private sector.
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