Perched on the corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman is easy to miss. It rarely makes the news and tends not to care about disputes between neighbors like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
The country’s low foreign profile may be for diplomacy, but it is challenging when looking to attract tourists. Not as cheeky as Dubai and without the world-class museums and cultural attractions of Abu Dhabi or Doha, the Sultanate has a quiet appeal, attracting some 3. 5 million visitors last year, a fraction of the 16 Array 7 million. who went to Dubai.
Oman might not need all that Dubai has, but would like more tourists to diversify their economy away from oil and gas. Everything was put on hold in March, when the Covid-19 pandemic made overseas practically impossible, but the country is starting to open up again (normal foreign flights are expected to resume next month) and is looking for new tactics to attract to ers. . the country.
Reacting to a tweet on September 7 calling on Muscat to build a landmark monument to attract more visitors, Heritage and Tourism Minister Salim bin Mohammed bin Said al Mahrouqi said: “There is no dispute about this. . and in the proposals that will be studied in depth. “
What form this takes remains to be seen, however, as the local Muscat Daily notes, the most recent annual report from the Government’s Implementation Support and Monitoring Unit included the main points of an initiative to create a monument. iconic that everyone would associate with Oman. “As with monuments such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, the proposed monument would also serve as a destination product to attract tourism to the country,” the report said.
Gulf cities love to build landmarks. Dubai specializes in incredibly tall buildings, adding to the existing world record holder, the 830-meter-high Burj Al-Khalifa. Kuwait has its iconic group of 3 water towers, Riyadh has the Kingdom Center and Al Faisaliyah Center next to each other in the center of the city. In Manama, there is the Bahrain World Trade Center with its unique trio of wind turbines emerging between its dual towers.
However, Muscat, characterized by its modest low-rise white buildings, has few applicants to serve as an iconic construction for the city or the countryside. There is a giant incense burner on a hill overlooking the old port, yet the government draws attention to anything that makes more noise.
Recent additions to the city, such as the Royal Opera House, are understated from the outside, and while the interior of the expansive Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque is impressive, its silhouette is distinctive. The blue and yellow of the Al Alam Palace are striking, but also closed to visitors.
However, there are demanding situations with construction as a major new tourist attraction, adding to a lack of money. The low value of oil this year, combined with the coronavirus pandemic, has exacerbated budgetary tensions in the country. Last month, the rating firm Fitch downgraded Oman again, saying its budget deficit would likely reach 20% of GDP this year, down from 8% last year.
Some critical parts of the tourism sector were also struggling, even before the Covid-19 crisis broke out. The country’s national airline, Oman Air, has benefited since 2007 and plans to break even until 2023.
However, there is capacity for many more tourists. The large passenger terminal at Muscat International Airport, which opened in 2018, may seem like a ghostly location apart from a few times when there is a flurry of arrivals and departures. It remains to be seen whether an iconic build will do much to change.
Dominic Dudley is a freelance journalist with nearly two decades of experience in business, economic and political reporting in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and
Dominic Dudley is a freelance journalist with nearly two decades of experience reporting on business, economic and political affairs in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.