BADER AL KIYUMI -
baderalkiyumi@hotmail.com -
Duqm, the backbone of Omani economy, is considered the gateway for the Sultanate on the east coast. A port town on the Arabian Sea, it is in central-eastern Oman.
Beautiful sandy beaches characterised by its colourful and beautiful rocks add sheen to the wilayat.
One of the greatest Arabic poet laureates Shawki Abdul Amir had epitomised Duqm rocks when he wrote:
As for you, Henri Moor Poet of silent abstract blocks
In modern sculpture You will never convince me
You do not know the rock garden.
Visitors to Al Duqm will be impressed by the changes that has occurred during the past few years. During my recent visit in March to the wilayat which is well-known of its beautiful beaches, I was truly impressed with what I saw.
I can heartily describe this change as a proof of the determination during the Omani Renaissance under the wise leadership of His Majesty, the Sultan.
My first visit to Al Duqm was on a private visit way back in 2005. The city was a barren desert that did not have the simplest basic services such as hotels and restaurants.
If it was not for the invite extended by the kind citizens, we could not have continued our stay due to the non-existence of basic amenities. The people were generous and invited us to stay with them. Thanks to Al Duqm citizens who are always inviting Omani guests and expatriates.
My second visit in 2014, I was accompanied by Omani businesspeople. We were invited by the Special Economic Zone Authority of Al Duqm (SEZAD) to learn more about the potential investments of the zone and its facilities.
I was in total surprise when I visited the place. The area is totally different in comparison to what I witnessed three years ago. Massive construction projects were on-going.
I was also surprised by the progress and the services that are available in the region which contribute to attract thousands of workers from different governorates of the Sultanate as well as from abroad. The number of population in Al Duqm reached 20,000 compared to only 4,000 before the commencement of these projects. The number is expected to reach 60,000 by 2020.
Long back when we read media reports that the government was going ahead with execution of many projects in Al Duqm, one wondered how it will be a reality. One could not imagine that this wilayat located in the middle of the desert will metamorphose so fast.
We could not imagine that 5-star international hotels like Crowne Plaza and Park Inn will be housed in the wilayats sand beaches to give their services for investors and tourists. This again is thanks to the wise leadership His Majesty, the Sultan.
During the visit, I saw first-hand the fruits of the projects. During a tour on the dry-dock pier, we saw ships which sailed from different countries including Greece, Singapore and others had chosen to dock to repair and service their ships.
It is expected that Al Duqm with its unique architecture airport, according to the plan and drawings what we saw, is expected to completed by next year. This, it is intended, will continue to attract tourists from the Sultanate and abroad.
During my way back to the airport, I was expecting an empty flight but was taken aback to see full occupancy of seats!
The one-stop station at SEZAD which is located in the centre of the wilayat plays a vital role to encourage and guide investors to invest in the region providing them the required information and assisting them to finalise all their investment requirements. Through our discussion with the officials, we noticed that they were doing their best to attract more investors especially SMEs.
As an Omani citizen, I am proud of what has been achieved and what will be projected in the future. By 2020, we will see the projects in reality.
It will encourage local and foreign businessmen to invest in this region.
Al Duqm refinery will soon open and will receive gas lines on the premises. As a result, the place will attract heavy industries and other projects making it a unique hub.
Al Duqm will not only be economically promising but also be potentially attracting tourists.
Thanks to those people who work hard on various projects in this area and help develop the hub and attract visitors to come and invest and making the place more competitive in the future.
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