Remote country near WW3 hotspot aims to be new Brit holiday resort with £8bn on new projects including ‘Green Mountain’

A REMOTE country a stone’s throw from fierce fighting, which some say could spark World War Three, is the latest holiday option for Brits.

Huge new plans for Oman, in the Middle East, could see millions of tourists flock to the Sultanate in the coming years.

© SOM | ATCHAINProject Oman Vision 2040 is hoped to draw 11 million tourists to the country in 2040[/caption]

© SOM | ATCHAINA new complex will feature a wellness centre, a training centre, and a museum[/caption]

© SOM | ATCHAINSome £1.87billion will be invested in providing housing and accommodation for tourists[/caption]

© SOM | ATCHAINThree villages will offer 2,527 residences to accommodate 8,000 people[/caption]

The UN World Tourism Organisation is working to make the Middle East a centre of tourism innovation.

More than 87 million international tourists visited the war-ravaged region last year, which was well above pre-pandemic levels, including four million people who toured Oman.

Brits are currently able to stay in the Sultanate for up to 14 days without a visa.

Plans are now underway to make Oman a top tourist destination.

New sites – including the Jebel Akhdar Mountain, also known as “The Green Mountain” – will be constructed to entice travellers.

The Green Mountain is to be built some 93 miles from Oman’s capital Muscat and will have an altitude of 2,400 metres.

And more than £1.87billion will be spent on housing for residents and accommodation for tourists, with three peak villages to offer 2,527 residences and accommodate more than 8,000 people.

Two-thousand hotel rooms will accommodate more than 2,300 overnight visitors and 2,000 tourists daily.

The complex will also feature a wellness centre, a training centre, an amphitheatre, a museum, and a cable car to access the area as well as new leisure and biodiversity space, the Wadi Al Harbi park.

Rock climbing, bungee jumping, and mountain – among other activities – will be made available to guests, and external solar parks dependent solely on renewable energy will be installed.

Oman is known to enjoy an extensive coral strip, which the country’s tourism sector is expected to take better advantage of by equipping it for sea travel and entertainment.

By 2040, Oman’s Tourism Ministry wants to see 11 million tourists visit the Sultanate per year.

The country’s tourism sector is expected to contribute more than £7.7billion to GDP this year, representing 7.6 per cent of the economy.

The sector is also expected to employ more than 206,000 people, meaning one in every 14 Oman residents will work in tourism.

Between 2018 and 2023, Middle Eastern countries have invested £5.3billion in 109 projects hoped to boost tourism.

Oman last week hosted the 50th meeting of the World Tourism Organisation’s Regional Office for the Middle East in its capital, where countries discussed the importance of investing in tourism to strengthen and diversify their economies.

The host country’s Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning last year unveiled plans for three mega projects in its Dhofar, Musandam, and South Al Batinah governorates.

These included Rathath “Drizzle” Boulevard in Dhofar, a venture valued at RO40million (£82million) which is expected to span four years and sprawl 47,0000 square metres in Itin, Salalah.

The project is to feature an artificial waterway, a water feature, and dining establishments offering a fusion of local and international cuisine, as well as an “educational garden”.

© SOM | ATCHAINOman’s tourism sector will employ more than 206,000 people[/caption]

© SOM | ATCHAINOne in every 14 people will work in the country’s tourism sector[/caption]

Leave a comment