The government has a goal of reaching 5 million tourists by 2040. What do you believe needs to be done to achieve that?

I believe we will reach 10 million tourists within ten years, a 10 percent per year growth rate. This differs from what the Ministry of Tourism has said, but our mandate from His Majesty describes our job in Oman as a master plan for the country in terms of tourism and real estate. We promote the country by attracting foreign investors. The Ministry of Tourism is the director that develops strategy and manages their assets, but we are the company responsible for carrying out the projects that will get the Ministry of Tourism its objective.

Here in Oman, we have Integrated Tourism Complex (ITC) projects like Al Mouj and Madinat Al Irfan. We own a stake in every real estate project in this country, with the exception of Muscat Hills. Our larger projects, such as Madinat Al Irfan, are still in negotiations with investors.  We have met with 70 investors in the last four months. First we let Omanis invest, then we open it up to investors in the region, next the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market, and then we open it internationally.

These ITC projects have been successful in selling properties to Omanis and local investors.  We are expanding relations with investors from China, Iran, and India. These investors like how safe Oman is and the clarity of law, which is very transparent on property ownership.

How do you portray these investment opportunities?

The government has put 1.5 billion dollars into Omran over the last eight years. We have many partners and joint venture partners. We own the land, we create the developments, and we develop the roads and other infrastructure.

What impact will the Sultan Qaboos Waterfront project have?

The Sultan Qaboos Waterfront is a strategic national project. His Majesty closed the port in 2011 when it could no longer welcome container ships and opened Port Sohar. His Majesty plans that Port Sultan Qaboos will become a tourism port and visualizes it as the tourism hub of the city. 

To develop Port Sultan Qaboos, we have created a three stage development plan, with five years to complete each stage.  With investments, it costs 500 million Rials over a 15-year period. In the first stage, we will deliver 200 thousand square meters of buildings, which we aim to have completed in time for the Dubai Expo, which will attract over 25 million people within six months. Because of Dubai’s geographical proximity, and the low prices of airline tickets, we plan to attract at least ten percent of these people, and double tourism numbers.

Madinat Al Irfan has been labeled as a milestone. Can you tell us why?

Omran has invested a billion dollars into the infrastructure of Madinat al Irfan’s 7 million square meter developments. The first project being managed by The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) was the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. Madinat Al Irfan is the first city which uses the natural contours of the land, with the hills and valleys integrated in the architectural designs. The Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, which is completed and open, is significant due to its usage of local materials. It is very important to help the region in every way we can, so by only using local products and materials we have exponentially created job and economic growth in our region.