It is the holiday season of course... and all are trying every possibility to beat the heat and enjoy summer break. This is the peak time for people to have a long refreshing break with family. A short break would always be needed to refresh our memories, recharge our body and stimulate our spirits. Though we are almost halfway to bid farewell to the holiday season.
As summer is always associated with tourism and travel, people’s plans differ targeting different destinations all around the world where they can have good time and great moments with family, friends and loved ones. Generally, tourism and travelling or even touring around the country is a good practice that many people are experiencing nowadays. Perhaps, it is becoming a very common phenomenon and another way of promoting tourism indeed.
A very common observation is that many people prefer to spend their holiday overseas for a change! Although this could be a burdening expense for families, travelling during summer has become a necessity that should not be missed for them. They prefer to be out of town to explore new cultures, places and traditions of other nations as well as meeting other people. Probably, some might wonder why those people do not spend their holiday and money in their home country instead!
If truth to be told, it all depends on finding and enjoying what really entertains people and attracts their interests. However, if all that is not found at the homeland, then what and where would those people spend their money and time?! Other than sightseeing destinations and historical landmarks, there is nothing else that can entice people’s interest. As, sometimes, unfortunately, some of those tourist attractions are not well-maintained and prepared to attract tourists and visitors as they should be.
Although Oman is very rich with unique historical tourist destinations and natural attractions, some of which are one of a kind in the world. Yet, they are not given much attention and not much investment is spent to develop these destinations. Likewise, it is hardly to see new attractions developed or added to these areas.
What is required to make these places key tourist destinations is a little bit of thinking out of the box. Sometimes, only small ideas could change a place and make it a touristic hub not only for locals, but for others from outside the country too. When visiting a place, people always seek facilities and best opportunities for recreation and staycation.
As Salalah is becoming a trend and a worldwide tourist destination for hundreds of thousands of people during summer, it should bring a remarkably different experience to visitors. However, it is witnessing a slight improvement every year with almost same tourist attractions. Besides, there are many other attractive places which lack basic infrastructure facilities, which could make it a better attraction.
There is no doubt that many tourist attractions and landmarks in the Sultanate of Oman could be international destinations of choice for many people. This would have been guaranteed if those places had been developed to world-class and globally competitive standards. One just wonders what are the challenge that are coming in the development of some tourist landmarks and destinations in the country!
Is it that complicated and challenging mission to put more investments in tourism sector?! Perhaps the private sector could support in putting more efforts and investments if it is given an opportunity. Why not allow some specialised local or international corporates to invest on tourism, and they might come up with some worthy projects. Possibly they could bring more investments, tourists and business opportunities to the country. Local businessmen could also be given a chance to promote domestic tourism.
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