MUSCAT Her Excellency Dr Rajha Bint Abdulamir Bin Ali, Tourism Minister, highlighted the importance of the meetings held between the public and private sectors.

The interests of both sectors are served through benefiting from the points of views and ideas raised during these meetings, she said in her meeting at Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), with members of the OCCI board of directors and representatives of travel and tourism sectors.

She said the Sultanate’s government strives to distribute the comprehensive tourism complexes and other tourism projects in the different parts of the Sultanate. As of today, there are 21 integrated tourism projects besides the other tourism projects, such as, hotels and resorts in the Sultanate, she added.

‘Through the studies undertaken by the Supreme Committee for Town Planning, areas will be allocated for future tourism projects. These areas will be allocated for potential investors. The ministry will then select the best offer. The ministry has offered 11 tourism sites for investment in the last period, she added.

Rajha also said the government encourages the Omani private sector to undertake these projects by setting up public joint stock companies rather than play the role of mediators.

Answering a question on the participation of OCCI at the foreign exhibitions in which the tourism ministry takes part, Rajha said the ministry welcomes joint cooperation with OCCI to promote for the Sultanate’s rich tourism potentials.

As for the guarantee provided by the tourism ministry to investors, Rajha said that before giving any licence to the investor, the ministry ensures the investors financial statutes and seriousness to implement the project. There is a proposed idea ‘calculating the draft guarantee’ which secures the buyers’
right. The ideas will be implemented on the tourism and real estate projects.

The involvement of the foreign investor implementing the tourism projects has given the tourism sector in the Sultanate trust and experience, as well as, lured more investors to implement the tourism projects.

Talking on human resources development at the tourism sector Rajha also said the tourism projects that will be implemented in the coming period will provide 10,000 direct job opportunities during the coming five years. Some investors will establish hospitality institutes to train Omanis on providing tourism services. Other investors will dispatch a number of Omanis to pursue their tourism related studies abroad.

The meeting was attended by HE Khalil Bin Abdullah Al Khonji, Chairman of OCCI, OCCI officials, businessmen and investors.