The Oman Ministry of Tourism has set its sights on attracting 12 million visitors by the year 2020.

The ministry’s vision follows on from a strong 2008 visitor arrival performance which saw three million-plus international travellers enter the Sultanate.

Based on this and forward visitor arrival projections the ministry is confident the tourism sector will become one of the biggest contributors to Oman’s GDP within the next 11 years.

The ministry’s aspirations have been heavily supported by both the Oman government and private sector which have invested heavily in several major tourism projects across the destination valued at more than USD10 billion.

Sultanate of Oman Tourism Director Australia/New Zealand Mona Tannous said one of the principle projects now underway was a major upgrade and expansion of the Sultanate’s principal air gateway, Muscat International Airport.

The airport last year handled more than 3.2 million international visitor arrivals.

Plans for the airport development, she said, include a new terminal building, 32 air bridges and an additional runway while the existing runway will be upgraded to handle the super-sized Airbus A380.
In addition to the airport development, several massive tourism projects are now well underway most of which will be completed within the next five years.

These include 10 integrated resort style developments under construction in various parts of the country plus a major 6000-seat Convention Centre being built on a 1.6 million hectare site close to Muscat International Airport.

Work is also nearing completion on the venue for 2010 Asian Beach Games which will take place at Wudum Al Sahil near Muscat in December next year.

Following the event the games complex is intended to be used as a major resort complex.

Ms Tannous said the overall blueprint for all of these projects also extended to the development and upgrading of key transportation hubs and links other parts of the country.

These include new regional airports and facilities in Nizwa, Duqm and Salalah, all of which are viewed as critical in facilitating access to these regions for international visitors arriving via Muscat.

Ms Tannous said a major component of the ministry’s in achieving success for its ‘Vision 2020’ charter centres on the roll out of ongoing international marketing strategies designed to further broaden the destination’s appeal to an ever-widening international audience.

These, she said, were intended to create awareness of the many fascinating, historical and culturally rich regions which make up the destination while attracting further investment and even more opportunity for the country’s tourism sector.

Entering Oman she said had also become much easier following a recent move by the government to change visa regulations to allow nationals of up to 60 countries to receive entry visas on arrival at the airport.

Minister of Tourism, Dr. Rajiha Bint Abdulamir Bin Ali, said that under the Oman government’s ‘Vision 2020’ charter the tourism sector has been set the following objectives:

• To increase the level of employment of Omani nationals in the sector from the current 37 per cent to 80 per cent by the year 2010.

• To achieve an average annual growth rate for the tourist income by seven per cent for the period 2005-2010.

• Conserve and protect the natural environments as well as assuring respect of customs, traditions and cultural heritage.

DUBAI, U.A.E, – Reinforcing and strengthening the airline’s commitment to the Middle East, Emirates has announced increased services to three of its key regional gateways including; Dammam, Beirut and Tehran.

Starting from the 1st May, Emirates will introduce two additional weekly flights to Dammam, three additional weekly flights to Beirut and an extra two weekly flights to Tehran, further reinforcing the airline’s extensive operations across the Middle East.
Airbus A330-200 – Emirates is increasing services to three of its key regional gateways including; Dammam, Beirut and Tehran.

“The Middle East is one of the most active aviation markets in the world and an integral part of Emirates operations,” said Ahmed Khoory, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations – Gulf Middle East & Iran. “The addition of these flights has been implemented in recognition of the increased demand for services across the Middle East and will provide much needed capacity on these perpetually busy routes.”

“The enhanced capacity will also offer excellent connections to Emirates extensive global network as well as provide extra flights for the thousands of expatriate residents who live and work in Dubai but whose family is still based in their home country.”

Recent statistics released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show that demand for services across the Middle East grew 3.1 per cent in January 2009 despite the global economic downturn, with Emirates well placed to capitalize on this growth.

The additional flights to Beirut, Dammam and Tehran marks the second significant increase in flights across the Middle East for Emirates – in February Emirates added capacity to Amman, Riyadh and Jeddah – bringing its weekly operation to: seven flights to Dammam, 17 flights to Beirut and 21 flights to Tehran.

The airline has an extensive Middle East network covering 14 cities with 180 flights per week. With the additional flights to Dammam, Beirut and Tehran starting May 2009, Emirates will serve the region with 187 flights per week.

• Carrier recognised by Airbus for achieving highest aircraft utilisation in 2008, with 99.8 per cent operational reliability
• Named best performer among all global airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft
• Reaffirms reliability of LCC’s services

Sharjah,  Air Arabia, the first and largest low-cost carrier (LCC) in the Middle East and North Africa, announced today that it has been recognised by Airbus, one of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, for achieving the highest level of operational utilisation in the world.

This is for the fourth consecutive year that Air Arabia has maintained the lead among all global airlines operating Airbus A320 aircraft. According to the latest reports from Airbus, Air Arabia achieved the highest aircraft utilisation in 2008, with 99.8 per cent operational reliability.

“Operational excellence and service reliability are integral to our success. We are honoured that these attributes have been recognised by a prestigious aircraft manufacturer such as Airbus,” said Adel Ali, Board Member and Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia. “Being a leading LCC means that we continuously strive to optimise our resources and infrastructure to best serve our passengers. Our employees are the driving force behind our seamless service, and we wish to thank them for their contribution. As we undertake a more ambitious growth path in a challenging business environment, we continue to focus on maximising our efficiency levels.”

In selecting Air Arabia in its operational excellence rankings, Airbus conducted a detailed technical analysis of all carriers in the segment. Air Arabia recorded the highest indicators for operational reliability and aircraft utilisation, reflecting the carrier’s extremely high maintenance and technical standards.

Currently, Air Arabia has a fleet of 16 Airbus A320 aircraft, and has already placed an order for 44 additional Airbus A320. By the end of 2009, Air Arabia expects to add two more aircraft and increase its fleet size to 18.

In January 2007, Air Arabia received a special certificate from Airbus for achieving the highest average level of A320 fleet utilization during 2005-2006. In June 2007, Airbus named Air Arabia winner of the award for Operational Excellence (2005-2007) for recording the world’s highest indicators for operational reliability.