A lot to explore on Empty Quarter Oman-Saudi road
Published: 05:02 PM,Feb 22,2023 | EDITED : 09:02 PM,Feb 22,2023
The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism has said that the opening of the Empty Quarter Road has reduced the travel time between the Sultanate of Oman and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 18 hours to six, making Oman the nearest tourist destination for Saudi citizens and residents.
A report issued by the ministry said that prior to the opening of this new road, travellers to and from Saudi Arabia had to travel via the UAE.
The positive impact of the new road was reflected in the increase in the number of hotel guests in Oman from January to November 2022, which increased by 418.8 per cent from 27,980 at the end of November 2021 to 145,100 guests until the end of November 2022.
With the Empty Quarter easily accessible via the new road, travellers between Saudi Arabia and Oman can now enjoy desert scenes, especially sand dunes whose heights range between 50 and 250 meters, transverse and linear dunes. The desert has many forms, such as sabkha (not coastal), sandy, rocky, and in some cases, with a limited number of temporary water bodies of ponds and lakes.
Trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Oman also increased in the first half of 2022 to SR11.4 billion ($53.04 billion), according to statements by Khalid Al Falih, Saudi Minister of Investment.
'As of September 2022, nearly half a million tonnes of goods and nearly 400,000 passengers have used the new direct road between the two countries. We expect this number to easily double and triple in the next five years because the movement on this road does have much transit or third-party traffic,' Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, added.
He said that the long-term goals discussed between both sides include a feasibility study for a direct railway link, and the short-term goals include agreements for the quick turnaround of goods via sea and land border crossings.
The new road starts from the Ibri roundabout in Al Dhahirah Governorate and ends at the Batha intersection in Saudi Arabia, covering a length of 725 km, passing through the Empty Quarter desert, of which 161 km in Oman and the rest 564 km in Saudi Arabia.
The ministry said that the total cost of constructing the iconic road was RO 1.9 billion, and is considered an engineering marvel due to the rugged terrain and harsh climate in the Empty Quarter.
The road will play a key role in facilitating the movement of tourists and pilgrims, in addition to promoting trade exchange between the two countries.
The road, which has also been provided with all safety features, including lighting on the last stretch of 30 km, to facilitate the movement of road users with ease and safety, is part of the network linking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with roads of a high level of quality and safety.
@vinot_nair
A report issued by the ministry said that prior to the opening of this new road, travellers to and from Saudi Arabia had to travel via the UAE.
The positive impact of the new road was reflected in the increase in the number of hotel guests in Oman from January to November 2022, which increased by 418.8 per cent from 27,980 at the end of November 2021 to 145,100 guests until the end of November 2022.
With the Empty Quarter easily accessible via the new road, travellers between Saudi Arabia and Oman can now enjoy desert scenes, especially sand dunes whose heights range between 50 and 250 meters, transverse and linear dunes. The desert has many forms, such as sabkha (not coastal), sandy, rocky, and in some cases, with a limited number of temporary water bodies of ponds and lakes.
Trade exchange between Saudi Arabia and Oman also increased in the first half of 2022 to SR11.4 billion ($53.04 billion), according to statements by Khalid Al Falih, Saudi Minister of Investment.
'As of September 2022, nearly half a million tonnes of goods and nearly 400,000 passengers have used the new direct road between the two countries. We expect this number to easily double and triple in the next five years because the movement on this road does have much transit or third-party traffic,' Eng Said bin Hamoud al Maawali, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, added.
He said that the long-term goals discussed between both sides include a feasibility study for a direct railway link, and the short-term goals include agreements for the quick turnaround of goods via sea and land border crossings.
The new road starts from the Ibri roundabout in Al Dhahirah Governorate and ends at the Batha intersection in Saudi Arabia, covering a length of 725 km, passing through the Empty Quarter desert, of which 161 km in Oman and the rest 564 km in Saudi Arabia.
The ministry said that the total cost of constructing the iconic road was RO 1.9 billion, and is considered an engineering marvel due to the rugged terrain and harsh climate in the Empty Quarter.
The road will play a key role in facilitating the movement of tourists and pilgrims, in addition to promoting trade exchange between the two countries.
The road, which has also been provided with all safety features, including lighting on the last stretch of 30 km, to facilitate the movement of road users with ease and safety, is part of the network linking the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and all countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, with roads of a high level of quality and safety.
@vinot_nair