The world’s most hi-tech convention centre is now open and fully operational to host its first exhibition in Oman next week, according to James Wilson, CEO of Oman Tourism Development Company Omran.

The project, with a size of more than two football fields, can house up to 10,000 people, according to Trevor McCartney, general manager of Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC).

And for the first time in Oman, the 20,000 sqm hall will feature skyfold doors system, a vertically rising, moveable wall that can split the hall into five smaller ones with a click, according to McCartney.

“The kitchen can provide 10,000 meals per day,” he said, adding that the Intercontinental Hotel will be in charge of the catering services of the multipurpose centre.

He explained that the exhibitions which were scheduled to take place in the older centre will be “upgraded” to take place in the new and bigger without any additional costs.

“The upcoming book fair will be opened in this new building,” McCartney announced.

Asked what will be done with the old convention centre, McCartney said that the government has a number for plans for it including turning it into a wedding hall or an outlet mall.

The convention auditorium and both Crowne Plaza, and a five star JW Marriott hotel are also set to open next year, according to McCartney. OCEC is owned and developed by Omran, which is responsible for the master planning and development of the Madinat Al Irfan Urban Centre.

More than 2,000 schools are expected to come up in Oman by 2020 from among more than 50,000 schools that are likely to be set up throughout the Gulf region as both public and private stakeholders seek to capitalise on the growing education market.

Citing findings from the GCC Education Industry report published by Alpen Capital, organisers of the forthcoming International and Private Schools Education Forum (IPSEF) Middle East say the capacity addition is meant to address the growing school population that is expected to reach 15mn by 2020.

“Experts estimate that about 51,000 schools will be needed by 2020 to accommodate the growing demand for schools throughout the GCC,” said Rhona Greenhill, co-founder, IPSEF. “This will be a significant addition of 7,000 more schools than the current number to address the burgeoning school student population across the region.”

According to the report, 41,678 schools will have been established throughout the GCC in the public sector by 2020 and 9,301 in the private education market. Saudi Arabia leads with 44,441 schools expected to be set up, followed by Oman (2,054), Kuwait (1,497), UAE (1,406), Qatar (1,107) and Bahrain (503).

Last year alone, figures from the GCC Education Industry report identified more than 500 educational projects in various stages of development collectively worth more than US$50bn.

The projected capacity gap has prompted both public and private sector stakeholders, including international school operators to focus on the education market through increased government spending and long-term development strategies.

For instance, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman have allocated more than 20 per cent of their total budget this year towards the education sector, a figure higher than in most developed countries such as the US, UK and Germany, indicating the seriousness of these Gulf states’ efforts to develop their education sector.

“The lead in time for the delivery of new schools is at least 24 months allowing for design and approvals in advance of a typical construction first phase of at least 14 months. This also assumes handover to the operator in May preceding a September opening. With this in mind we have a good sense of the schools planning to open in September 2016 and 2017. The window for September 2018 schools will close in a few months,” said Mark Ryder, education consultant, Daymer Group.

He added, “There are schools planned for Abu Dhabi and Sharjah but not in the same numbers as Dubai. I know that there is significant activity in the construction of new public schools in Saudi Arabia and that the Qatar market is also active. New schools in Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait are limited.”

Ryder is one of the speakers at IPSEF which will take place from September 27-29 at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai, UAE.

Experts say there is definitely a growing recognition amongst existing operators and schools that are considering entering the market that it is now very competitive and previous enrolment ramp up rates are unlikely to be achieved universally.

In the British and American sectors some operators are even talking about over supply.

However, there still appears to be a gap in the International Baccalaureate (IB) market for quality affordable education.

“With the international and private school markets continuing to grow, and as competition increases, it is increasingly critical that schools and investors planning to open new operations in education develop strategies for success.

“To assist that need IPSEF provides a unique reference point for all those involved in the financing, planning, design, delivery and management of a new school project. By bringing together the diverse community involved in a new operation, IPSEF aims to provide participants with not only valuable case studies of schools from across the MENA region but importantly a host of contacts that will enable them to plan their project with confidence,” Greenhill said.

The three-day event will provide opportunities for SMEs to explore various business prospects, gain knowledge and insights into the latest developments and opportunities in the franchise industry.

The exhibition will be organised by Al Nimr Expo in cooperation with the Middle East & North Africa Franchise Association (MENAFA). Supporting them will be the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), Riyada, Omani-American Business Centre and the UK Trade & Investment.

The exhibition will bring together major international franchise brands and several competent authorities in the field of franchise associations that will provide a variety of trade and investment opportunities for Omani entrepreneurs wishing to start their own businesses or to export their brands.

A number of international experts will present their scientific and practical experience in the franchise business and entrepreneurship.

The exhibition will include daily seminars.

International franchise companies from countries like the US, Australia, Italy, the UK, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, UAE and Saudi Arabia will be present.

They will represent various sectors such as food and beverages, retail, technology, health, sports and real estate among others.

The Ministry of Tourism (MoT) on Tuesday unveiled its 2040 strategy which will see investments of around RO20bn and creation of more than half a million jobs.

H E Maitha bint Saif al Mahrouqi, Undersecretary in MoT unveiled a strategy for potential private sector investors at a forum held at the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Council of Ministers had approved the tourism strategy on Sunday.

The ministry is looking to invest around RO20bn for its strategy through 2040. A great majority of that investment (86-89 per cent) will be through the private sector.

The ministry wants to provide around 80,000 rooms for accommodation: 33,373 hotel rooms, 29,287 vacation home rooms and 17,262 integrated tourism complex (ITC) rooms.

Muscat’s share of accommodation is expected to decrease from 53 per cent now to 30.8 per cent in 2040 as more hotel rooms come up in other parts of the country. Dhofar’s share will rise from 12.6 per cent to 23.8 per cent.

The ministry expects at least 11.7mn international and domestic tourists in 2040, a big jump from 1.4mn in 2013. MoT has identified five types of natural sites for tourism: Wildlife, mountains, wadis, deserts and coasts. It has also identified five elements of culture and heritage: Cities and villages, world heritage sites, cultural heritage, symbols, and norms and traditions. Fourteen clusters of tourist infrastructure will be built around the country as per regional attributes.

These include coastal areas, bronze and iron age ruins, castles, mountains, villages and wadis, bedouin region and Rub al Khali.

The ministry expects tourism to create 535,574 direct and indirect jobs by 2040 compared to 89,413 now. The strategy will be implemented in three stages: Preparation (2016-20), Growth (2021-30) and Stability (2031-40). More than 30 public entities and 50 private entities will be involved in implementing the strategy. These include the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Supreme Council for Planning, ROP and Oman Air.

MoT itself will be reformatted to align with the strategy, and new departments will be created to follow-up implementation. Staff will also receive new training and education. The ministry will evaluate implementation using a scorecard.

H E Maitha said that more than 700 people contributed to forming the strategy, which included a series of workshops. The ministry took 12 weeks to prepare the draft of the strategy.

The Sultanate of Oman is noted for its strong fundamentals in the national healthcare system.

In fact, the country’s healthcare sector has witnessed commendable growth over the last few decades. While the government has a strong presence in the sector, making available advanced health solutions and patient care services to people, it has always welcomed and encouraged the private healthcare providers to contribute to transforming Oman into a regional healthcare hub.

When His Majesty became the Sultan of Oman, the country had just two hospitals. Over the last 45 years, under His Majesty the Sultan’s visionary leadership, Oman’s health sector registered amazing growth. The government policy focused heavily on ensuring access to basic universal healthcare for all Omani citizens, and subsidised health services for expatriates.

 

Today, Oman has nearly 70 quality hospitals, with over 6,400 beds, offering a range of specialised and general patient care services across the country. Its healthcare system greatly benefited from foreign medical expertise which in turn helped improve the skills of the country’s homegrown medical professionals.

Providing universal healthcare to a mixed population of Omanis and expatriates has been quite a challenge, considering the sultanate’s unique topographical features and population distribution pattern. But today, even remote hamlets inhabited by a few have access to healthcare.

More than 80 per cent of the sultanate’s total health expenditure is borne by the Ministry of Health, and the budgetary allocation for the sector stands at RO1.3bn. The healthcare sector is poised to witness exciting developments which include mega health projects such as the US$1.5bn Sultan Qaboos Medical City (SQMC) in Muscat comprising of five hospitals, and other medical facilities; and the US$1bn integrated medical tourism project in Salalah called the International Medical City (IMC) consisting of a 530-bed tertiary specialty care hospital, a research and development (R&D) complex, organ transplant centers, and a healthcare resort. There are other projects in the pipeline including the RO72mn integrated healthcare complex to come up in Seeb, which will have a 225-bed tertiary care hospital, 120-key three-star hotel apartments, and 300 residential apartments among others.

The new hospitals, medical centers, and clinics in the pipeline are expected to play a major role in achieving Oman’s Health Vision 2050, a long-term strategy issued in 2014 that aims to support the government’s goal of providing an equitable and responsive healthcare system, which in turn will create a productive population.

Against this backdrop, the entry of Burjeel Hospital into Oman heralds a totally new dimension to private premium healthcare in the Sultanate.  Burjeel Hospital started recently its operations in Oman in the commercial hub of Al Khuwayr (Muscat) with Christopher Evans, a veteran in the field of healthcare management, as the CEO.

Revealing his strategic healthcare vision for Oman, he said, “Oman has fared spectacularly in the healthcare sector under His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said’s reign. In 1970, the life expectancy of Omani citizens was only 49.3 years, and His Majesty the Sultan directed the government to prioritise providing free, universal primary care. Now, in less than 50 years, this average life expectancy has risen to more than 76 years and the objective of free, universal primary care for everyone has been fully realized.  Significantly, as much as 95 per cent of the Omani population lies within five miles of a medical center.

“Also, when you add the network of community hospitals, tertiary hospitals, and the excellent specialist referral and medical teaching facilities of the Royal and Sultan Qaboos University Hospitals, you get a clear view of the massive and truly impressive developments in the Omani healthcare sector. Certainly, such a growth could easily be the envy of many other countries in the world. All this due to His Majesty the Sultan’s continued commitment to providing the country with healthcare services that match the very best of international standards. These achievements are unquestionably outstanding indeed.”

Burjeel Hospital has designed a unique, strategic healthcare planning model that strongly supports the development of the Omani healthcare industry. Evans says, “I must admit that I am not comfortable with the label Omani ‘healthcare industry’, which suggests a mechanical production line. This is certainly not the model of healthcare I would wish to endorse in the sultanate.”

He proposes a healthcare model that encourages inter-dependence of public and private healthcare sectors, where the proposed healthcare developments of the private sector are screened and approved by the government before commencement to ensure compatibility with the public sector provision. Further, operational activities of the private sector must be regulated against the MoH’s statutory requirements.

The model recommends securing and maintaining specified international accreditation specifications, such as those referred by the Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation.  The model envisages a self-sufficient structure for the private sector that does not rely on public sector resources at all, but at the same time, allows the public sector to access key resources of the private sector for the benefit of Oman residents.

“There is a great opportunity for major international joint ventures in healthcare in Oman, not just in the private sector but in the public sector as well,” he added.

In addition to world-class medical care, Burjeel Hospital offers 7-star hospitality experience to meet the demands and expectations of today’s locals and residents of Oman.

“Burjeel Hospital’s layout planning facilitates convenient adjacencies in clinical departments; smooth guest flows for medical efficiency, treatment and privacy; positioning of sophisticated diagnostic and medical facilities, together with the installation of robust and tested communication and IT infrastructure systems.  In fact, Burjeel Hospital has set a new benchmark in Oman in terms of the standard of private healthcare that are at par with or even  more than renowned international hospitals,” Evans continued.

Commenting on how well Burjeel’s vision gel with Oman government’s vision plan to ensure better health for the public, Evans notes, “Burjeel’s determination to bring the best healthcare in Oman strongly supports the government’s vision in all shapes and forms.”

On the strategic role played by private medical providers in the sultanate, Evans believes that Oman faces an increasing demand for healthcare, both for preventative and interventional services. “Like every other country, the cost of providing healthcare continues to rise significantly, as new diagnostic equipment, treatment protocols, medications, hospitals, other treatment  facilities, and increasingly skilled staff are needed.

“Allowing a regulated private healthcare sector to function alongside the public sector can significantly contribute to addressing the healthcare needs of both local and the expatriate population. This will also offer Omani nationals the choice to pay – by themselves or through private medical insurance – for their medical care, thereby substantially reducing the public sector’s healthcare burden.”

 

Hotels and travel agents have geared up for the Khareef season (monsoon), which will start on Tuesday in the Dhofar governorate and will continue until September 21, according to an official from the Ministry of Tourism (MoT).
The number of visitors to the southern governorate during the last monsoon stood at 514,000, with a daily average of more than 5,000 visitors. “But we are expecting more visitors this time,” top officials of the travel industry said on Monday.

The number of visitors from GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries, including Oman, stood at 459,000, accounting for 89.2 per cent of the total tourists, according to a survey by the National Centre for Statistics and Information.

The survey was conducted in collaboration with MoT and the Royal Oman Police (ROP).

Breaking it down, 378,068 Omanis travelled to Dhofar during monsoon in 2015, while the number of visitors from GCC was 81,299, most of them (86 per cent) came by road.

The official at MoT also said the annual Khareef Salalah Festival will start by mid-July and end by September 30.

To boost the tourism industry in Dhofar, the Al Fanar Hotel was opened last February, with a capacity of 218 rooms. Moreover, the first phase of the Salalah Beach Resort has been completed, raising the number of rooms to 700.

The Anantara Resort Salalah, which is located close to the Al Baleed archaeological site, included in UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s) list of World Heritage Sites will also open soon.

The hotel will consist of 136 rooms and villas, as well as a range of restaurants and recreational facilities that will contribute to the development of hotel services for visitors coming to Salalah.

Commenting on the upcoming season and its prospects this year, Hossam Kamal, general manager, Salalah Rotana Resort, said, “The Khareef season is one of the key attractions of Oman, making the Sultanate a truly unique destination within the GCC region. Following the increased number of flights to Salalah by key airline carriers, such as Oman Air, Fly Dubai and Qatar Airways, we are certain that the trend of growing tourist arrivals year-on-year will be witnessed again this year. Last year we recorded an increase of 25 per cent in arrivals, compared with the same period in 2014. Our presence in Salalah provides added quality accommodation for the growing number of visitors to the region.’’

Ahead of the start of the season, the Salalah Rotana Resort is launching an aggressive media campaign focusing on the GCC region. In addition, the resort’s “Discover Khareef Travel Guide” on its Rotana Times website continues to draw attention as it gives potential visitors information about the season and what the destination has to offer.

The Salalah Rotana Resort also offers guests a selection of tailor made tours to explore the natural wonders of Salalah and it rich cultural heritage, with trips to Wadi Darbat, Jebel Samhan Nature Reserve, the Mughsail Beach, the Al Marneef Cave and more.

To lure tourists, an official from the Salalah Marriott Resort said, “We are offering 50 per cent off on food and beverage, our guests can stay three nights in our hotel by only paying for two nights and we are also providing three buses to ply visitors to the festival area and to all shopping malls in Salalah.”

Travel agents said Khareef is considered a significant aspect of tourism in Oman as it receives misty rains and has a cooler temperature. “With more Oman Air, flydubai and Qatar Airways flights, we hope that the tourist traffic will grow this year,” an official from New Star Travels said.