Muscat: Oman is putting into action plans to develop tourism sites across the country, and develop them by providing amenities such as restaurants, toilets and hotels, making them more attractive and enjoyable for both locals and expats within the Sultanate, as well as overseas tourists.

As part of this plan, Oman’s Ministry of Tourism has come up with a plan to list all tourism sites available to the public, and then implement all the developments that need to be done there.

This is part of the ministry’s Local Tourism Incentive Initiative and aims to create quality services that meet the needs of tourists.

Speaking to the Times of Oman, the leader of this initiative Abdulwahed Al Farsi, the Director of the Business Integration Department at Omran (the Sultanate’s tourism development body), said, “This initiative was launched in March 2018, and aims to stimulate local tourism, create services of good level that meet the aspirations of the visitors, to enhance and raise the efficiency of public service infrastructure as essential elements for local tourism, and provide the necessary facilities in tourist areas.”

Initiative

“Part of this initiative is the provision of restaurants, cafes, toilets and serviced apartments, in addition to the beautification of tourism sites, in cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, Omran, and other government authorities.”

A representative from the Ministry of Tourism explained that the condition of toilets and restaurants in tourist areas were among the most pressing concerns put forward by visitors who had come to these places. He said, “The Ministry of Tourism has compiled reports on the toilets located in the petrol stations distributed across the Sultanate, and it was raised with His Excellency the Minister of Tourism, who in turn addressed the competent authorities, after which these services were provided.”

“Everyone can see that the toilets are much better than they were two years ago,” added the official. “Although this is not within the jurisdiction of the ministry, it is among the goals of the local tourism incentive initiative.”

“There is land that has been allocated for the Ministry of Tourism, and the procedures have been greenlit to invest in tourist establishments, such as a tourist camp or hotel with a restaurant, cafe, toilets and all the required services,” he added, explaining the Ministry’s plans in some of the other governorates as well.

The Ministry of Tourism, in cooperation with the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources and other competent authorities, has started implementing this initiative to develop the tourism sector in the governorates of Musandam and Dhofar so far, and this will continue in the other governorates of the Sultanate, starting with the Batinah and Sharqiyah governorates.

“Through setting up these facilities, we will also be able to provide jobs for job seekers in these facilities, invest in land in tourist sites, search for investors and contractors for these tourism sites, and increase the number of these facilities, such as toilets, service apartments, hotels, restaurants and cafes,” added the Ministry official.

As part of this programme, the ministry has invested OMR800 per month into setting up toilets in the tourism sites in the Sharqiyah governorates, so that they can be used by locals, expats and tourists.

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