18 October 2008
MUSCAT -- The Phase 1 of the landmark RO1 billion 'Mirbat Beach' project is on the verge of being completed and its soft launch will be held in the first quarter of 2009.
'Mirbat Beach' will feature 1,500 residential units (town houses, village houses, villas, apartments) and over 10,000 sq.mt of retail space and 10,000 sq.mt of office space.
"Mirbat Beach will be one of the most unique projects Oman has ever seen and around $30 billion will be invested in the project," said Sheikh Nawaf Al Thani, chairman of Dhofar Tourism Company.
Speaking exclusively to Times of Oman on the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Sheikh Thani said: "We are not here because we want to earn more money. Rather, it is the other way around. We are investing into this project to provide the best quality not just in Salalah but the entire AGCC. The project will be distinct from any other existing project in the AGCC."
"We will not duplicate or compromise on quality," he added. The Dhofar Tourism Company is an Oman-Qatar joint venture. "It is a partnership between Qatari government and several investors from Oman from the private sector. It is a 50-50 partnership," Sheikh Thani said.
Sheikh Thani said that the project had been planned around 10 years ago. "But we worked out the master-plan just a year ago," he said.
The Mirbat Beach project, which will be developed in seven phases, will go on for 15 years.
"The first phase will include the 'Royal Tulip Resort and Spa', a five star hotel which will be completed in early 2009," he said.
Saying that the company hadn't faced any kind of challenges in conceptualising the project, Sheikh Thani said: "The only question hurled at us was whether Salalah will be able to take on this huge development. We were super sure that it was an ideal choice. We were sure it was an 'A plus' location and we would have no problem selling it. We are entering a market which is virgin, so you can imagine the possibility of the profit after maturing."
"We are sure of how the end users will benefit from this project. We will make sure that the one who invests will benefit from the project the day we sell it to him. Our top priority will be customer care," he added.
The project will be an integrated tourism complex where non-AGCC foreigners can invest.
"We are looking at buyers from MENA, North America and also EU. We believe a lot of locals will invest in a major way. It might be a second home for some and investment opportunity for others. The project has various elements and it will be accommodating for tourists as well," he said.
Talking about corporate social responsibility, he said: "We are going to create more than 50,000 jobs in Salalah. This is direct, and you can imagine indirectly how many more jobs we would be creating."
Stating the pristine environment of Salalah will not be tampered with, Sheikh Thani said: "We have a research team guiding us on this aspect."
MUSCAT -- The Phase 1 of the landmark RO1 billion 'Mirbat Beach' project is on the verge of being completed and its soft launch will be held in the first quarter of 2009.
'Mirbat Beach' will feature 1,500 residential units (town houses, village houses, villas, apartments) and over 10,000 sq.mt of retail space and 10,000 sq.mt of office space.
"Mirbat Beach will be one of the most unique projects Oman has ever seen and around $30 billion will be invested in the project," said Sheikh Nawaf Al Thani, chairman of Dhofar Tourism Company.
Speaking exclusively to Times of Oman on the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Sheikh Thani said: "We are not here because we want to earn more money. Rather, it is the other way around. We are investing into this project to provide the best quality not just in Salalah but the entire AGCC. The project will be distinct from any other existing project in the AGCC."
"We will not duplicate or compromise on quality," he added. The Dhofar Tourism Company is an Oman-Qatar joint venture. "It is a partnership between Qatari government and several investors from Oman from the private sector. It is a 50-50 partnership," Sheikh Thani said.
Sheikh Thani said that the project had been planned around 10 years ago. "But we worked out the master-plan just a year ago," he said.
The Mirbat Beach project, which will be developed in seven phases, will go on for 15 years.
"The first phase will include the 'Royal Tulip Resort and Spa', a five star hotel which will be completed in early 2009," he said.
Saying that the company hadn't faced any kind of challenges in conceptualising the project, Sheikh Thani said: "The only question hurled at us was whether Salalah will be able to take on this huge development. We were super sure that it was an ideal choice. We were sure it was an 'A plus' location and we would have no problem selling it. We are entering a market which is virgin, so you can imagine the possibility of the profit after maturing."
"We are sure of how the end users will benefit from this project. We will make sure that the one who invests will benefit from the project the day we sell it to him. Our top priority will be customer care," he added.
The project will be an integrated tourism complex where non-AGCC foreigners can invest.
"We are looking at buyers from MENA, North America and also EU. We believe a lot of locals will invest in a major way. It might be a second home for some and investment opportunity for others. The project has various elements and it will be accommodating for tourists as well," he said.
Talking about corporate social responsibility, he said: "We are going to create more than 50,000 jobs in Salalah. This is direct, and you can imagine indirectly how many more jobs we would be creating."
Stating the pristine environment of Salalah will not be tampered with, Sheikh Thani said: "We have a research team guiding us on this aspect."
By Mrudu Naik
© Times of Oman 2008
