Majlis al-Jinn, a vast cavern on Selma plateau, was closed to the public this year after one daredevil too many parachuted into the 150m-deep cave, a stunt that has often been performed as part of corporate promotions.
The Oman government now plans to turn the cave into an eco-resort and tourist attraction. And one of the entrances to the world’s eighth largest cave chamber will be reserved for base-jumping.
Oman is developing itself as an upmarket tourist destination with a focus on culture and adventure, as distinct from the more commercial offerings of its immediate neighbours, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The development of Majlis al-Jinn, which will include a train to the cavern, is the kind of environmentally friendly development Oman wants to encourage. Another cave, Al-Hoota, has been turned into a tourist destination already. The sultanate is building museums in some of its 500 ancient forts and plans to turn a mountain village into hotel apartments – the project, in an underdeveloped region, will highlight the traditions of rural Arabian culture.
Salim al-Mamari, director general of tourism promotion, says Oman has taken a “different approach” to tourism development. “We are paying attention to maintaining our identity. We are not into mass tourism. We are looking for responsible tourism, meaning those who can help me maintain Oman as it is.”
Balancing the need for job creation with preserving the local environment and ancient traditions is a trick many countries have tried to pull off – with mixed results. Last year Oman attracted 1.2m tourists, half of them from Europe, mainly Britons and Germans. Tourism accounts for little more than 1 per cent of gross domestic product. The government is targeting 3 per cent by 2015. Mr Mamari says Oman wants to increase the annual growth rate of tourists from 10 per cent to 17 per cent by 2012. Hotel capacity is projected to double to 18,000 rooms by 2018.
Darwish al-Bulushi, secretary-general of the finance ministry, says the sector is a priority. The government is investing in infrastructure and providing incentives for the private sector. Muscat airport and four regional airports have been expanded and many roads have been improved.
A ferry service is due to connect Musandam and Salalah, a lush southern port where the climate is wet and cool in the summer. Musandam is a peninsular with fjords and rocky outcrops on the Straits of Hormuz abutting the UAE.
So far the strategy has paid off. Glossy magazines and broadsheets in Europe and the US fawn over the natural wonders and authenticity of the Omani tourism experience. Arbiters of style fall over themselves in praise of the understated elegance of Muscat’s Chedi hotel (pictured left) in contrast to Dubai’s seven-star excesses.
But, until this year at least, Dubai has been more successful at luring summertime tourists, thanks to promotions such as an annual shopping festival. While Oman’s hotels are full to the rafters in the winter, hoteliers argue that the sultanate will have to lure more than a few business travellers in the summer to meet its targets.
Mr Mamari says the country is decentralising by creating attractions away from Muscat, the capital. Areas in the central highlands and southern and eastern coasts are being developed. That will exploit anomalies in Oman’s weather which should prove attractive for tourists. At times when the capital is sweltering and humid, in the Hajar mountains the maximum temperatures is only 25°C.
Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is developing an eco-resort in Ras al-Hadd, the most eastern point of Oman. From there 400km of beach runs down to the southern port of Salalah, whose moderate summer temperatures are the envy of the region.
For many Omani officials, tourism provides one of the most viable options for diversifying revenues away from declining hydrocarbons production. Omanis speak with pride about the number of their compatriots who work in the hotel business. They say the hospitality sector is taboo in neighbouring countries but not in Oman.
The government forces the private sector to take on nationals: 60 per cent of hotel staff must be Omanis. This is a challenge for operators, who complain of a skills gap on the part of local job candidates. Expatriates who have similar qualifications are willing to take half the wages demanded by nationals.
Most Omanis covet an easy life in the public sector rather than the hard work and split-shifts of the hospitality industry, the operators say.
“We spend a lot of time training a local only for them to get snapped up by government jobs or move for better salaries elsewhere in the Gulf,” says one hotelier in Muscat.
