DestinationOman 2008 print edition released The world media is fascinated by Oman: Rajiha

MUSCAT March 31, 2008

“We are a culturally rich nation and our traditions have been preserved for centuries. We hope that through this endeavour of DestinationOman, our country will attract more attention and acclaim”, said Dr. Rajiha Bint Abdulameer Bin Ali, the Minister of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, while being presented with the latest copy of DestinationOman 2008 print edition recently. Deepak Nair, a longtime Indian resident of the Sultanate, who founded the webportal www.destinationoman.com in 2001 recollected that the print edition was spurred by the enormous popularity enjoyed by the webportal, that shows up on all major search engines, when a search  was fired for Oman or anything related to Oman tourism.  “The millions of hits our webportal gets every month and the overwhelming response to the previous print editions, are sure indicators of the enormous appeal and mystique the Sultanate of Oman holds to the potential tourist and visitor to Oman, as what rightly makes it the cultural hub of the Arab world”, said Deepak Nair, adding that DestinationOman print edition had by now established itself as one of the most sought-after tourist publications on Oman. The A4 size book that is packed with 160 pages of information is a real treat for the reader. It has two sections, the first section that has stories on subjects of tourist interests illustrated with spectacular photographs, that include first hand experiences of people visiting famed parts of the country such as the ‘Empty Quarter’, ‘Jabal Akdhar’, ‘Musandam’, ‘Salalah’ and other places, apart from stories on art, culture, tradition and hospitality of Oman. Adventure tourism stories like ‘Yachting in Bandar Khairan’ and ‘Biking in Oman’ are also covered. The second section has all essential information what a tourist would lookout for, which includes, information on hotels, restaurants and tour operators, car rental firms, etc. The writers for the current edition include names like Sarah White, Dr. Patrica Groves, Clara Zawawi, Paulo Bizzaro, Mary Philip and Steve Bridger. Bait Al Zubair Foundation is also credited with a number of photographs appearing in the current issue. In the foreword to the publication, Dr. Rajiha says: “DestinationOman has carved a special niche for itself in the hearts of its readers as it captures the unending charm and tourism potential of the Sultanate of Oman, in its own unique and imaginative way. The photographs are a visual treat and the stories woven around them make these destinations yearning to be visited.” Outlining that tourism was now a key segment of Oman’s booming economy, Dr. Rajiha revealed that tourism and real estate projects such as The Wave, Blue City, Jebel Sifah, Salalah Beach and Salam Yiti were in various stages of implementation, and provide ample opportunities for “employment and enhancement of Omani nationals who love their country and are traditionally known for their warm hospitality and frank welcoming nature”. Highlighting the potential of Oman tourism the minister further added: “Since the establishment of the Ministry of Tourism a few years back, we have taken several initiatives to promote tourism in the Sultanate of Oman. Our beautiful country is becoming a much sought-after tourist destination worldwide. The world media is also fascinated by Oman as is evident from the glowing tributes accorded to the Sultanate on numerous occasions. There are now several airlines that are connected directly to Oman, which shows further evidence of the increasing significance of Oman as a global destination.” She complimented the efforts of the people who made the book DestinationOman possible. DestinationOman is widely distributed to all tourism entities and also made available through a chain of bookshops in Oman, UAE and other parts of the world.

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The 2007 print edition of Oman’s most popular tourism publication DestinationOman was formally released by the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Rajiha Abdulameer Ali yesterday. Reflective of the growing tourism potential of the country, the new edition packs in 144 pages of content and is illustrated with captivating pictures of the Sultanate of Oman, mostly taken by celebrated photographer and His Majesty’s adviser for Economic Planning Affairs HE Mohammad bin Al Zubair. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said, “The tourism potential of the Sultanate has been imaginatively encapsulated through the pages of DestinationOman and I can confidently say that anybody who reads the book would be impelled to visit our country and explore its charms at the very first opportunity.”Dr. Rajiha added the government of Oman and the Ministry of Tourism in particular, is making serious efforts to further enhance the tourism potential of the Sultanate by creating world class infrastructure and amenities, at all tourist destinations. “There are a considerable number of promising tourism areas in the Sultanate and accordingly the Seventh Five-Year Development Plan includes a number of tourism projects that will be implemented by both the government and the private sector. The most important of these projects include resorts and tourist facilities in Yiti and Seifa in Muscat, Salalah, Mirbat and Shaa in Dhofar, Ras Al Hadd in Ash Sharqiyah, Ziqi and Haraf in Musandam and Shinas in Al Batinah. The proposed high-speed ferry service scheduled for launch in late 2007 or early 2008 will cut down travel time between Musandam and Muscat from five hours to just one hour. The service is also expected to usher in a windfall of business opportunities for the country's interior regions, boost tourism and generate employment”, she continued. “The mega real estate and tourism investment projects like the Blue City, The Wave, the Muscat Golf Club; the new star hotels coming up; the renovation and addition of rooms and upgrading of facilities of existing hotels; are all efforts being made to accommodate the growing number of tourists visiting our country now”, she further underscored. Dr. Rajiha commended the team of DestinationOman for keeping the flag of the Sultanate flying high. The book which stemmed out from the immense popularity enjoyed by the website www.DestinationOman.com founded by an long time Indian resident and lover of Oman - Deepak Nair, is designed by InteracOman and published by Al Roya.

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New Edition of DestinationOman Launched

MUSCAT Nov 19th 2005 - The eagerly awaited 2005/06 edition of DestinationOman annual print edition was launched during the national day celebrations in Oman, by the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Rajiha bint Abdulameer bin Ali.The new edition has a striking picture depicting culture and heritage of Oman on the cover and like in the previous year has principal photography credit accorded to renowned Omani citizen and celebrity photographer Mohammad bin Al Zubair, who is also His Majesty the Sultan's adviser for economic planning affairs.The publication which is focused on tourism, business and investment opportunities in the Sultanate of Oman, has a crisp foreword written by the Tourism Minister Dr. Rajiha bint Abdulameer bin Ali, where she says: “Oman is presently taking giant strides towards becoming a tourism and business destination of the middle east…whether to soak in its pristine beauty of to reap the benefits of its emerging economy, a visit to Oman is beginning to be a part of every avid traveller’s tour calendar.” Boasting of very high production values this imaginatively conceptualized book is beautifully illustrated with breathtaking photographs of Oman taken by Mohammad bin Al Zubair. The book is A4 size, written in English and has 128 pages. It is also rich in content and has three sections, tourism being the first section followed by a section on business and another one on useful information for potential visitors and tourists to Oman. A unique feature of DestinationOman 2005-06 are six Picture Post Cards that are embedded within the pages of the book.Speaking on the occasion the Tourism Minister Dr. Rajiha bint Abdulameer bin Ali said: “Tourism is growing in importance and is going to be a principal driver of the country’s economic development in the near future. The formation of the Tourism Ministry in 2004 has consolidated Oman’s tourism functions into one organisation and the ministry has already introduced several steps to promote tourism industry to grow and prosper. Our policy is to work closely with the private sector to further develop international markets for Oman tourism and DestinationOman is a fine example of such cooperation. We want to make sure that Oman is and continues to be a destination of choice with every world class tourist and traveller.”“DestinationOman is an ideal guide for the tourists and businessmen flocking to Oman. This book not only helps to promote and showcase the tourism potential of Oman, it also helps to present the business and investment opportunities available in the Sultanate currently, in tandem with the rapid growth of the Omani economy”, she continued.
Dr. Rajiha was highly appreciative of the efforts put in by the team at DestinationOman to come out with such a prestigious publication that would make every Omani proud of his country and its amazing potential for tourism.
“This seems to be an exciting time for the tourism industry in Oman, and DestinationOman book and website aim to disseminate factual and authoritative information on Oman tourism and the facilities available here, to a worldwide audience”, commented Deepak Nair, the founder of DestinationOman. “The response to our maiden print edition last year was truly overwhelming as people from different parts of the world sent us very encouraging and positive feedback, which has undoubtedly helped to make the 2005-06 edition even better”, said Deepak Nair. Deepak Nair further said the book would make an excellent collector’s item and corporate gift as it had souvenir value, and even while the book was in the production stage there were highly enthusiastic requests from several five star hotels, banks and other institutions for bulk copies of the book to be reserved for them, once it was published. Deepak Nair added that he and his team would like to express their sincere gratitude the Ministry of Tourism, Mohammad bin al Zubair and to all the advertisers for the support and cooperation rendered in bringing out the publication.

The latest edition of DestinationOman is available through a chain of bookshops in Oman and UAE and other GCC countries. For a limited period Corporate customers in Oman can log in to the website www.destinationoman.com and reserve their free copy.

DestinationOman 2004 Print Edition Launched

MUSCAT Sept 15, 2004. His Excellency Mohsin bin Khamis al Balushi, the Undersecretary of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman, launched the 2004 maiden annual print edition of DestinationOman at function held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel yesterday.The 136 page beautifully illustrated book is a visual treat, that has foreword written by the Minister of Tourism Her Excellency Rajiha bint Abdul Amir bin Ali and boasts of principal photography by one of Oman's most celebrated photographers His Excellency Mohammed al Zubair. The book has three sections; the first covering tourism destinations; the second covering business, economy and investment opportunities; and the third covering essential information on Oman - relevant to tourists and businessmen, including contact numbers of Oman embassies and consulates, restaurant listings, etc."The annual print edition is inspired by the huge popularity enjoyed by the webportal by the same name (www.destinationoman.com) that was launched three years ago, on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market, again by the His Excellency Mohsin bin Khamis al Balushi itself", said Deepak Nair, who founded DestinationOman."The book seeks to promote Oman as not just a tourist destination, but as a business and investment destination as well", he added. He said, he got over 100 enquiry emails from the site every month from potential tourists and visitors to Oman, who want more information about the country. "Oman is definitely getting to be one of the most sought after destinations in the middle east, if the feedback from the site is any indication", he noted further.Deepak said, he was most thankful to the officials at Ministry of Tourism, and the OCIPED for their cooperation and His Excellency Mohammed al Zubair for his beautiful pictures of Oman, which further enhanced the quality of the publication. He also expressed his sincere thanks to all the advertisers who made it possible to bring out such a publication.Speaking on the occasion, the Undersecretary of Tourism His Excellency Mohsin bin Khamis al Balushi remarked that promoting Oman as tourism and business haven, was now a national priority and private participation was essential in implementing tourism strategies of the government. He complimented the efforts put in by the team of DestinationOman in bringing out such a publication that would definitely help throw more light on the awesome potential of Oman as a tourist and investment destination.DestinationOman is published by Oman Advertising Agency, on behalf of InteracOman E-Solutions.