04 April 2017
Kabeer Yousuf
Muscat - Expatriates in the Sultanate can own a house of their choice in the new freehold property project signed by the Ministry of Tourism and a private developer recently, according to the Minister of Tourism. The RO 400 million valued Naseem A’Sabah project, the contract of which is entered into by the Ministry of Tourism with Amouage Hotels and Resorts, allows foreign nationals living in the Sultanate to own a house of their dreams. “Any expatriate living in the country can own a house in this first project that is built on the sea-reclaimed land off Mawaleh”, Ahmed bin Nasser al Mehrzi, Minister of Tourism, told the Observer after signing the agreement.

“This project is part of our Oman Tourism Vision 2040 and with this, we aspire to achieve rapid development of tourism in the Sultanate”, he added, saying that this will help further strengthen the infrastructure of the sector, upgrade the quality of services, create various leisure, and service facilities for both nationals and expatriates, and ensure the optimal use of tourism components while achieving added value for the economy. All the laws pertaining to ITC projects will be applicable and the buyer will get all the privileges of an investor and certain number of visas too will be provided as per the law.

Although this is not the first freehold property where foreign citizens are allowed to buy houses, this is distinct for the fact that this is the first such property that is built on reclaimed land in the country. Naseem A’Sabah is located on the northern shore of Mawaleh in Seeb in Muscat Governorate, and is part of an Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC). Mamas Christodoulides, Chairman of Amouage Hotels and Resorts, and Mohammed al Khalidi, who hold 35 per cent each in this project said that the project will be built by a renowned team of international architects, engineers and consultants to be a residential tourism complex with high quality services and international quality standards; and will keep in mind important factors such as sustainability, environment, the Omani culture and the nation’s people.

Earlier, Al Mouj, Saraya Bandar Jissah and Muscat Hills have let expatriates own their homes at these ITC projects. Naseem A’Sabah too will allow various nationals living in the country to have an opportunity to select a house of their choice from more than 1,200 housing units. Construction of Naseem A’Sabah will begin by next year and sale will soon be open for both locals and expatriates. “Some of the luxurious houses will have their own yacht parking bay as well making it one of the most attractive places for the international investors to have a home in Oman,” the minister added. After a landmark decision that caused an amendment to the constitution some 4 years ago, expatriates were entitled to buy houses in the select ITCs with some conditions.

© Oman Daily Observer 2017