FEATURE OMAN
something that bit different. Oman fits the bill. Set on the south- eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, the country has a long coastline on the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The beaches and coastal areas are beautiful and tourist development has been kept to a sensible level. There are no high-rise hotels here, as
T
they are limited to three and four storeys, and the architecture is designed to blend in with the existing old-style forts and original mud houses. Oman’s capital city, Muscat, with its mixture of
he ‘typical’ visitor to Oman will likely have visited Dubai or Abu Dhabi and be looking for
rich cultural heritage and modern style, is flying the flag as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2012. There is plenty to see here, starting with the Grand Mosque and Sultan’s Palace in Old Muscat. The Bait al Zubair Museum has a
good collection of Omani crafts and costumes, and the Muttrah souk is the place to go to buy cashmere pashminas, traditional Omani curved silver daggers, jewel boxes and frankincense. A new cruise terminal has opened at
the Mina Sultan Qaboos port in Muscat, boosting the cruise industry: 40% more ships are due to visit this year. In addition, Muscat International Airport has unveiled plans to increase its handling capacity to 12 million annual passengers with the new terminal set for completion by 2014. The best time to visit Oman is between October and April, when the weather is cooler. From April to September, you can expect daytime temperatures of up to 35C inland.
Because of cooler temperatures around its long coastline, however, Oman’s coastal resorts are usually quite popular all year-round. The mountainous region in the north
and the Dhofar region in the south are also cooler destinations for summer visitors. The main city in the south, Salalah, is popular with Gulf families in the summer, a time when it is cooled by monsoon rains.
What’s New Muscat-based Elite Travel and Tourism is offering deals until September 30 at three hotels within easy reach of Muscat: the five-star Al Bustan Palace, the four-star Millennium Resort Mussanah, and the four-star Al Falaj City Hotel. These range from £220 to £380pp for five days, including breakfast, a Muscat city tour and airport transfers. Pick of the bunch is the Millennium Resort at Mussanah, which includes daily buffet dinners in the price of £315.
OMAN Top Selling Tips...
• Look for special deals in the summer…“The best time to visit the Sultanate is from October to April. Spring and autumn are warm and mostly dry. Low-season deals are usually available after Easter to mid- September”
ALISON CRYER UK Director, Oman Tourism
• Make sure they see…“My hot tip would be to visit the brand new Opera House in the centre of Muscat, but book tickets well in advance if you would like to attend a performance”
MALCOLM DAVIES Middle East Product Manager Funway Holidays
• Don’t let them miss the turtles…“Summer in Oman can be very hot but it’s also the time of year when you can see turtles in Raz al Jinz. There is also a museum and guides who will teach you about the life of the turtle”
CAROLINA SVENSSON Product & Purchasing Manager, Middle East, Travel 2
• Book some excursions… “There are plenty of activities such as whale/dolphin watching, diving and fishing, to name just a few”
PAULINE DOUGHERTY Travel Counsellor
• For the more adventurous… “I personally feel this is a destination we can sell to clients looking for a multi- dimensional holiday”
TREVOR BONES Southern Cross Travel
www.sellinglonghaul.com • July/August 2012 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68