MUSCAT, 19 July 2009 - Al Madina A'Zarqa project site in Sawadi and Blue City Company 1 (BCC1) Corporate office in Ghala welcomed students of the German University of Technology in Oman (GUTech) recently.

Aiming to learn about tourism developments in Oman, the excursion is part of the curriculum of BSC Regional Management and Tourism program under Professor Dietrich Soyez, fly-in Professor for Regional Management and Tourism at GUtech and Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Cologne.

Students toured the site with Peter Braithwaite, Health, Safety and Environment Manager of Blue City Company 1, the company tasked to deliver Phase 1 of Al Madina A'Zarqa. Braithwaite also gave them HSE briefing to make sure that they are safe during their stay at the site.

"We are very grateful to Al Madina A'Zarqa for giving us this opportunity to share with our students the major tourism developments happening in Oman. This tour is very informative and would help the students a lot in understanding what is in store for their generation. A project like Al Madina A'Zarqa will pave the way to thousands of future employment opportunities to our students," said Prof. Dietrich Soyez.

"It is our pride to welcome students of GUTech on site and at the headquarters to share the vision of Al Madina A'Zarqa and the opportunities that will be created both for them and for future generations. We are glad to be a part of their curriculum and we will welcome any students who would want to learn more about us and about the importance of the city development to the Sultanate of Oman," commented Richard Russell, PE, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BCC1.

On their visit to the corporate office in Ghala, Mike Hess, Project Director for Sustainability, gave a briefing on the environmental awareness program that BCC1 has in place and an introduction to the Corporate Social Responsibility program.

"In phase 1 we are providing state of the art district cooling, which is new to Oman. All properties will be connected to a central district cooling system and ecologically sound sustainable options will be a central theme. We always take sustainability and environmental awareness into consideration," said Hess.  "The city will also have fiber-optic facility, keeping it at par with the leading cities around the world when it comes to telecommunications and connectivity." added Hess.

"I am impressed by the Environmental Program that BCC1 has in place for Al Madina A'Zarqa - the monitoring system that they have for all the materials, salination plant and other initiatives with regards to the environment. Having heard and seen the progress of the construction of the city, we are excited to finally see this project in full operation," said Prof. Soyez. 

Al Madina A'Zarqa is a 32 square kilometer city development in Sawadi, 30 minutes drive from Muscat International Airport. The city development will be home to more than 200,000 residents including 10,000 students who will live, learn, work and play in a fully integrated community. The whole project will house more than 20 hotels, a university, hospitals, clinics, schools, entertainment centers, business and retail areas and a multi-discipline domed sports facility.

Phase 1 will include three 5-star hotels, more than 5,500 apartments and villas, kindergarten school, shopping and business centers, 18-hole PGA standard golf course and all other facilities and amenities that one would want in a thriving community.

GUtech offers a four year Bachelor programme in Regional Management and Tourism. Admission and registration are open now. Scholarships are available through HEAC: www.heac.gov.om. For more information about GUtech please contact our website www.gutech.edu.om or call us on 24493051.

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© Press Release 2009