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THR has been selected to develop Oman’s tourism plan

The Spanish THR Innovative Tourism Advisors has been awarded a contract to prepare a tourism strategy after securing the highest points in terms of technical specifications and especially its experience in fields similar to the study in hand, a top official at the Ministry of Tourism told Oman Arabic, sister daily of the Observer.

The company has already embarked on initial works with a team currently touring various governorates in the Sultanate to identify and assess tourism potentials. The study is expected to be completed in 12 to 18 months as per the contract.

Earlier, the Ministry floated a tender for selection of an internal consultant with wide experience and deep knowledge to be assigned with the task of preparation of a tourism strategy which is associated with an ambitious development plan. A panel of tourism specialists and experts from the International Tourism Organisation and government departments studied the bids and picked the Spanish firm to undertake the strategy. The ministry aims to devise an ambitious tourism strategy in line with the Sultanate’s economic vision and strategy. The implementation of the Omani Tourism Strategy —as it is called— will be closely followed up by a working team comprising all stakeholders and the Ministry has asked a number of institutions to name their representatives.

The first preparatory meeting for the Omani Tourism Strategy will be held in the middle of May this year to assign tasks and roles among the panellists and discuss the mechanism for implementing the strategy. The strategy incorporates an elaborate programme outlining short- and medium-term plans and is based on pillars including the socio-economic and labour market aspects which gauge the society’s acceptance and involvement in tourism projects, the economic and social impact of tourism development, an evaluation of the role of the existing legislations, regulations and procedures in the development of tourism, means of financing tourism projects, particularly small ones, and finally development of tourism output and the challenges relating to the management of the projects in a way that boost tourism output in terms of both quality and quantity.

Source: Oman Daily Observer