MUSCAT: The number of people who visited Ras Al Janz Reserve of Ras Al Hadd in Wilayat Sur of South Al Sharqiyah between January and November this year reached 56,957. They included 38,744 foreigners and 18,213 Omanis. Saud bin Hamad al Alawi, Director of Tourism in South Al Sharqiyah governorate, said the turtle reserve is one of the main tourist destinations in the Sultanate. People like to visit it throughout the year. He said that the reserve is one of the eco-tourism destinations which Oman is trying to preserve as a national treasure as it promotes sustainable tourism.
Foreign tourists including Arabs who visit the Sultanate as well as the citizens of the country like visiting the turtle sanctuary. They enjoy turtle watching, relaxation and tranquility of the area.
The objective of establishing the Ras Al Jinz Reserve, by a Royal Decree in 1996, was to preserve one of the rarest natural elements of the country. This is the place where one can watch nesting of turtles.
Vijay Handa, Regional Director, said that Ras Al Jinz was one of the famous reserves of the world.
For everyone who is visiting the Sultanate, it has become main destination. The one who visits it always advises others to have an experience of going there.
“There is a continuous growth in the number of visitors. Similarly, the number of turtles is also increasing annually. In the reserve, we are well prepared for the tourist season,” said Vijay Handa.
“We are seeing an increase in the number of visitors since last week of September and October. We expect an increase of 8 to 9 per cent in the number of visitors this season, compared with the same period last year,” he said.
Ras Al Jinz is most important place of nesting of various species of turtle including endangered green turtle and olive Ridley turtle. The organizers of the tours allow visitors to watch the nesting with calmness and compassion and do to not cause fear or inconvenience to the turtles. There is also an interactive museum in the reserve.
SHOWS AND FUTURE PLANS
“We have many other shows as activities for our visitors this year. They include Leisure Concierge, which has mountaineering, fishing, Dolphin watching, visiting Omani house, star watching and biking in the bouquet,” said Nasir al Ghailani.
He said that there were huge plans for the next two years to make it a destination for stay for two to three days. Oman Tourism Development Company will announce the details at an appropriate time.
Nasir bin Mohammad bin Hamad al Ghailani, director general of the reserve, said that the reserve has seen an enormous tourist activity, more than those of the previous years. Every day, 250 - 400 people are visiting it. This turnout is a catalyst for us in the reserve. It shows that people like and appreciate it.
The reserve has continuous seasons. The nesting season of turtles begins in May. We have noticed that in last five years, the number of turtles too has increased significantly.
Khamis bin Abdullah bin Khamis al Amiri, a tourist guide, said: “I have been working for about 10 years in the reserve as a tour guide. We explain the life of turtles to visitors throughout the day to the groups of around 25 visitors. We also reply to their questions about the process of nesting of turtles. We keep telling the tourists to not to cause inconvenience to the turtles through lights and noise.
Hisham bin Khalifa al Matani of the Tourist Guidance Department at the Ras Al Jinz Scientific Centre said: “Our main role in the Tourist Guidance Department is to protect the turtles from inconvenience and taking care of the visitor.”
Ras Al Jinz Beach is world renowned for nesting of endangered green turtles (Cheloniamydas). It is perhaps one of the most important nesting places along the coast of the Indian Ocean. It is the only place where the public gather to watch and observe nesting of these stunningly big sea turtles.
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